A day after the Election Commission of India (ECI) granted the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) name and symbol to the faction led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut has voiced strong criticism against the ECI, accusing it of being swayed by Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Shah rather than upholding impartiality.

“…It is no more Election Commission of India (ECI) but rather Modi-Shah`s Election Commission…This happened with Shiv Sena too…” Raut said.

Under the ruling, the Sharad Pawar faction was offered a one-time opportunity to select a new name for their political formation, newswire ANI reported. The concession is to be utilised by 3 pm on February 7, 2024. The decision was taken after more than 10 hearings spread over more than six months.

The Election Commission said that the decision followed the laid-out tests of maintainability of the petition, which included tests of aims and objectives of the party constitution, test of party constitution and tests of a majority both organizational and legislative.

The hearings, which commenced on July 1 last year between factions led by Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar saw strong legal teams from both sides including Mukul Rohatgi, Neeraj Kishan Kaul and Maninder Singh for the petitioner and Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Devdatt Kamat from the respondent.

The test of majority in the legislative wing found favour in this circumstance of the case, where both groups have been found to be working outside the party constitution and the organizational elections, the poll panel said.

Meanwhile, Sharad Pawar faction spokesperson Clyde Crasto asserted that the real NCP rightfully belongs to the party supremo while adding that the ECI ruling was not a “surprise.”

Crasto highlighted the party`s founding in 1999 under Sharad Pawar`s leadership.

“This is not a surprise. Ajit Pawar faction leaders had been continuously saying that they would get the name and the symbol, with date. In 1999, NCP was founded by Sharad Pawar. Everybody knows that the NCP belongs to Sharad Pawar. A few months they claimed the party and the EC gave it to them,” Crasto said while speaking to ANI.

He said that clarity on the matter must be sought from the Supreme Court. “Sharad Pawar is the chief of the NCP which is there in 28 states. 25 out of them backed Sharad Pawar. Now the Supreme Court has to tell what the truth behind all of this is,” Crasto said. (With inputs from ANI)

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