The ongoing dispute within the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) took a new turn as the Sharad Pawar faction raised questions before the Election Commission regarding the legitimacy of the alleged flaws in the 2018 organizational polls. Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing the faction, highlighted that between 1999 and 2018, there were no accusations against Sharad Pawar's leadership or the electoral process, as reported by PTI.
Singhvi expressed that it was the first time in 2023 that allegations were made about the 2018 polls and subsequent events at the lower level and national convention. The dispute revolves around Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's claim to the party name and symbol.
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Singhvi pointed out the irony that those making accusations, including Ajit Pawar and Praful Patel, were part of the process in 2018. He emphasized that documents submitted to the Election Commission indicated Ajit Pawar acknowledging Sharad Pawar as the party leader with no opposition during elections.
He questioned the sudden emergence of a split in the party on June 30, 2023, stating that there was no pre-existing dispute. Singhvi argued that the Election Commission cannot initiate action under Para 15 of the elections symbols order without a valid pre-existing dispute.
Singhvi asserted that affidavits and documents filed before the Election Commission showed no evidence of a dispute when the petition was filed by the Ajit Pawar faction on June 30. The timeline is crucial, considering that two days before joining the Maharashtra government in July, Ajit Pawar had approached the Election Commission staking claim to the party name and symbol.
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In these proceedings, the Election Commission functions as a quasi-judicial body, with the case being heard by the Chief Election Commissioner and fellow election commissioners. The arguments presented by Singhvi are expected to continue in the upcoming hearings, shedding light on the intricacies of the internal party dispute.
