The Election Commission gave the new election symbol to Nationalist Congress Party Sharadchandra Pawar on Thursday (22 February).
The Election Commission has allotted the symbol of a man playing a trumpet to the party. The party will contest the Lok Sabha elections on this symbol.
Sharad Pawar welcomes EC decision on symbol
Welcoming this, Sharad Pawar said, “This is a matter of pride for us.”
“In the history of Maharashtra, Chhatrapati Shiv Rai’s valor, the Trumpet, had once defeaned the emperor of Delhi. It is a matter of pride for ‘Nationalist Congress Party – Sharad Chandra Pawar’ today. This ‘Tutari’ is ready to once again to shake the throne of Delhi under the leadership of Sharadchandra Pawar saheb!,” the NCP-Sharadchandra Pawar camp wrote in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Party Symbol War between Senior Pawar & Junior, after exit
On February 6, the Election Commission had declared Ajit faction as the real NCP and named Sharad Pawar faction as NCP Sharadchandra Pawar.
Sharad Pawar faction had proposed three symbols to the Election Commission for election symbols. These included the banyan tree, the rising sun and the cup-plate. There was much talk of finding banyan trees.
VHP’s Entry in this symbol allot procedure
Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) had raised objection about the banyan tree, the election symbol of the Sharad faction. VHP had said that the banyan tree is the registered symbol of their organization.
At the same time, Sharad faction had also sent three names for the name of the party. Out of these, NCP Sharadchandra Pawar’s name was finalised.
On the Election Commission’s decision to declare Ajit’s faction as the real NCP. Sharad Pawar had said “ The Commission has not only snatched away the symbol, but has also given our party to someone else. It had never happened before that the party was taken from the hands of the person who founded it and handed over to someone else.”
Hearing in SC against calling Ajit group as real NCP
Sharad Pawar had filed a petition in the Supreme Court against the Election Commission declaring Ajit Pawar’s group as the real NCP. During the hearing on February 19, the Supreme Court had sought answers from the Ajit Pawar-led faction. The next hearing of the case was listed after 3 weeks.
The bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice KV Vishwanathan had given permission to Sharad Pawar to approach the Election Commission for the party symbol.
It was also said that the Election Commission should also allot the election symbol within a week. The court had asked Sharad group to use the new name till further orders.
Now to increase outreach between people
Reacting on the poll body’s decision to give the original party name and symbol to his nephew Ajit, Sharad Pawar claimed that it was “against the law” and said it had never happened before that those who formed a political party were removed from the party itself.
“…Not only this, the party symbol was also taken away. This decision was not in accordance with the law…We will need to increase our public outreach,” the NCP supremo had said.
