On Wednesday, the SC raised concerns over the Ajit Pawar-led faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) repeatedly invoking the name and image of Sharad Pawar in their ongoing election campaigns for Maharashtra’s upcoming assembly elections.
The bench, comprising Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan, addressed the issue, urging the Ajit Pawar faction to focus on building its own identity rather than relying on Sharad Pawar’s established reputation.
“You try to stand up on your legs, now that you have ideological difference with Sharad Pawar,” the bench remarked.
The Court’s strong stance also included a directive to the Ajit Pawar faction to refrain from using any visuals, including photos and videos, of Sharad Pawar in campaign materials.
The justices emphasized that voters are capable of distinguishing between the two factions and should not misled by any confusion created through such tactics.
The issue came to light as the Sharad Pawar group raised an application, alleging that the Ajit Pawar faction was violating the Supreme Court’s prior instructions.
Earlier, the Court had mandated that the Ajit Pawar faction issue disclaimers in newspapers, particularly Marathi dailies, clarifying that their use of the NCP’s ‘clock’ symbol was still subject to a legal challenge by the Sharad Pawar faction.
Singhvi Accuses Ajit Pawar Group Of Violating Court Orders
Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Sharad Pawar’s side, argued that the Ajit Pawar group had failed to comply with the Court’s orders, continuing to leverage the goodwill of Sharad Pawar.
The bench remarked that people are intelligent enough to distinguish between Sharad and Ajit Pawar.
“We should not underestimate voters also,” the bench added.
The Court’s remarks also referenced the ongoing dispute over the NCP’s name and symbol, after the Election Commission (EC) officially recognized Ajit Pawar’s faction as the legitimate NCP, based on its legislative majority.
The EC had allotted the ‘clock’ symbol to Ajit Pawar’s group, further fueling the conflict. Meanwhile, the Sharad Pawar faction had been granted the use of the name ‘Nationalist Congress Party – Sharad Chandra Pawar’ and a separate symbol, a ‘man-blowing turha’.
On 19 March, the Supreme Court had allowed Ajit Pawar’s faction to use the ‘clock’ symbol, but with specific conditions, including a declaration stating that the issue remains sub-judice.
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