Setback to Sharad Pawar weeks before Maharashtra elections, SC allows Ajit Pawar’s NCP to use clock symbol

In a major setback to Sharad Pawar weeks before Maharashtra assembly elections, the Supreme Court on Thursday directed Ajit Pawar's NCP to use the ‘clock’ symbol in its publicity material.

However, the apex court asked Ajit Pawar faction to add disclaimer that the matter was sub-judice before it.

While issuing notice to the Ajit Pawar-led faction, Justices Surya Kant, Dipankar Datta and Ujjal Bhuyan passed the order on a plea filed by the rival Sharad Pawar-led NCP, reported PTI.

Appearing for Sharad Pawar faction, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi submitted the Ajit Pawar group should be restrained from using the ‘clock’ symbol as it didn't use the disclaimer in their campaign materials and 'misled' voters.

“They have been blatantly not using the disclaimer. They want to piggyback on me. Nobody should enjoy the goodwill of the symbol which is sub-judice,” Singhvi argued.

Singhvi demanded that Ajit Pawar group should be allocated a new symbol for the assembly elections. However, Senior advocate Balbir Singh, appearing for Ajit Pawar, opposed Singhvi's submissions.

Following that, the top court directed Ajit Pawar to file a fresh undertaking.

In July 2023, Ajit Pawar had walked away with a majority of the NCP MLAs, and supported the BJP-Shiv Sena government led by Eknath Shinde.

On February 15, 2024, Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar held the NCP faction led by Ajit Pawar to be the real NCP.

What Ajit Pawar's lawyer argued?

— Senior advocate Balbir Singh opposed Singhvi's submissions and said all pamphlets and campaign materials contained the disclaimers as directed by the apex court.

— They are showing false documents. We have given disclaimers in our publicity material.

— They came up with the same allegations during the Lok Sabha polls which was rejected. I am willing to file all documents and pamphlets.

Who has which symbols

— The Election Commission allotted the NCP's ‘clock’ symbol to the group led by Ajit Pawar.

— On March 19, the top court allowed the Sharad Pawar faction to use "Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar" as its name along with the symbol of a man blowing “turha”.

The NCP was founded by Sharad Pawar in 1999, along with former Lok Sabha speaker Purno Sangma and Tariq Anwar.