NCP split: Sharad Pawar arrives at the office of the Election Commission

Sharad Pawar. File Pic

NCP split: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Friday reached the Election Commission (EC) office.

Sharad Pawar on Friday also met Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge as well as Rahul Gandhi and is learnt have discussed the plan forward for the opposition alliance I-N-D-I-A, which last met in Mumbai on August 31 and September 1.

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Acknowledging a split in the NCP, the Election Commission had called the rival factions of the party for a personal hearing on Friday, the PTI had reported on Thursday.

According to the PTI, The faction led by Ajit Pawar had rebelled against NCP chief Sharad Pawar and moved the poll panel staking claim over the party name and symbol.

After due consideration of the totality of information available on record, the commission has arrived at the conclusion that there are two rival groups in the Nationalist Congress Party -- one led by Sharad Pawar and the other by Ajit Pawar, a functionary said citing provisions of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, as per the PTI.

Since each group is claiming to be the party, the matter required a substantive determination by the commission, the functionary said, according to the PTI.

Two days before rebelling against uncle Sharad Pawar to join the Maharashtra government in early July, Ajit Pawar had approached the Election Commission on June 30 staking claim to the party name as well as symbol and subsequently also declared himself as the party president with support of 40 lawmakers, the news agency reported on Thursday.

Recently, the Sharad Pawar-led faction had told the Election Commission that there was no dispute in the party, except that a few mischievous individuals have defected from the organisation for their personal ambitions, a reference to the rebel group headed by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.

Earlier, Sharad Pawar on Sunday said he will be in New Delhi on October 6 to present his side to the Election Commision during a hearing in connection with the split of the party, the PTI had reported.

Sharad Pawar had told reporters that everyone knows who is the party founder. He was talking to the reporters at Junnar in Maharashtra's Pune district.

(with PTI and ANI inputs)