The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear a plea by Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar’s faction, to restrain Ajit Pawar from using NCP’s iconic ‘clock’ symbol for the upcoming assembly elections in Maharashtra. The court said it would hear the matter on October 24.
The first plea in this regard was filed by Sharad Pawar on September 25, wherein the NCP chief had argued that Ajit Pawar should apply for a new election symbol to avoid confusion among voters.
He had also said the court should allot another symbol to Ajit Pawar until the matter a verdict on the matter was delivered.
The petition also stressed on the importance of maintaining fairness and clarity during the electoral process.
On October 2, Sharad Pawar filed another plea seeking a direction to restrain the Ajit Pawar faction from using the ‘clock’ symbol.
His plea claimed the immediate case of the petitioner (Sharad Pawar) is that during the recently concluded Indian general election (Lok Sabha), where the Sharad Pawar faction contested on the ‘man blowing turha’ symbol and Ajit Pawar on the ‘clock’ symbol, registered voters on the ground were faced with immense confusion and dilemma in respect of who represented the Nationalist Congress Party.
On March 19, the top court had directed the Ajit Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party to put a disclaimer in publicity materials that allocation of the ‘clock’ symbol to it was sub judice.
The court had also asked the Ajit Pawar group to meticulously make such a declaration in every advertisement material, audio and video clips.
The Sharad Pawar group had challenged the Election Commission’s decision of February 6, 2024, recognising the group by Ajit Pawar as the NCP and awarding it party symbol of ‘clock’.
Polls for the 288-member Maharashtra assembly will be held on November 20, and votes will be counted on November 23.
The term of the current assembly will end on November 26.
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