Sharad Pawar Ajit Pawar NCP Row: The Election Commission on Tuesday issued a major verdict on the ongoing dispute between uncle and nephew over party rights in Maharashtra. The Election Commission made it clear that nephew Ajit Pawar is the rightful owner of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and its election symbol.
This is being considered a big blow from the Election Commission for Sharad Pawar faction. After more than 10 hearings before the Election Commission in the last six months, Ajit Pawar was given the name and election symbol of the Nationalist Congress Party. Ajit Pawar has already joined the Eknath Shinde government of Maharashtra as Deputy Chief Minister after separating from his uncle Sharad Pawar’s party.
The Commission examined the affidavits of support filed by both the groups and concluded that the group led by the petitioner (Ajit Pawar) enjoys majority support among the MLAs. In view of the above findings, this Commission is of the view that the petitioner, the faction led by Ajit Pawar, is entitled to use the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and its election symbol Ghati under the Election Symbols Order 1968.
The party is the fief of any person or group…
The Election Commission said in its decision that when democratic elections are replaced by some appointment in the party or when the elections are contrary to the provisions of the party constitution or when the election notifications, electoral college, election In an opaque or obscure manner without disclosing the location etc., the result is that the party becomes the personal fiefdom of a single individual or a select group of individuals.
Then the party becomes a private enterprise…
The Election Commission clarified that in such a situation the party starts running like a private enterprise. Such situations cause party workers, who are at the bottom of the pyramidal hierarchy, to lose touch with the representatives.
Top level political parties are an important pillar on which our democratic governance stands and when this pillar is affected by undemocratic way of functioning, it will be echoed in national politics.
The Election Commission said that in the absence of democratic internal structures, internal disputes are bound to emerge, as a result of which the question will be decided by the Election Commission under a symbol order.
