Pune: DAYS after the Election Commission of India ruled in its favour, the Ajit Pawar led National Congress Party received another confirmation of its identity as Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narvekar today gave his verdict declaring that his (Ajit Pawar’s) faction was the real NCP.
“Ajit Pawar’s faction has more numbers than Sharad Pawar’s faction. And therefore, the real NCP is with Ajit Pawar,” Mr Narvekar said while reading out his verdict. The Speaker said his decision is based on the majority enjoyed by the Ajit Pawar faction in the state legislature.
A few days back, it was the Election Commission of India which had ruled that Ajit Pawar was heading the real NCP, thereby sending Sharad Pawar faction in a state of tizzy. The ECI had also alloted the wall clock symbol to Ajit Pawar faction. On the other hand, the ECI had allowed Sharad Pawar to temporarily till Rajya Sabha elections be renamed its party as NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar).
Importantly, in his verdict, Mr Narvekar said MLAs leaving the Sharad Pawar faction cannot be called as defection. ”They expressed their dissent but they did not defect,” he said.
Minutes later, NCP workers and leaders who owe allegiance to their ”Ajit dada” erupted in celebrations across Maharashtra. They distributed sweets, burst crackers and danced with gay abandon.
On the other hand, the Sharad Pawar faction though down said they had expected the verdict. ”This verdict is a copy paste of the Election Commission of India verdict. We will take the case to the Supreme Court of India where we are cent per cent sure of getting the verdict in our favour,” said Supriya Sule, Baramati MP and daughter of Sharad Pawar, the Maratha strongman.
Jitendra Awhad, MLA, minced no words in attacking Mr Narvekar. ”Mr Narvekar’s verdict is looking towards Coloba…It does not make any sense. It is illegal and was on expected lines…We will fight it out in the Supreme Court,” he said.