The Supreme Court has dealt a significant blow to Ajit Pawar’s faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) ahead of the Maharashtra assembly elections. In a bold move, the court ordered Ajit Pawar’s group to stop using photos or videos of party founder Sharad Pawar in their election campaign. This decision came after Sharad Pawar’s camp raised concerns that Ajit Pawar’s faction was using the party founder’s image to gain votes.
The court’s message was clear: “Learn to stand on your own feet”. Justice Surya Kant and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan emphasized that Ajit Pawar’s faction must establish its own identity, separate from Sharad Pawar’s, and stop relying on the party founder’s popularity. The court also warned Ajit Pawar’s camp against using the ‘clock’ symbol, which is still pending a final decision, without proper clarification.
The court gave Ajit Pawar’s faction a 36-hour ultimatum to comply with its order, which required them to publish explanations in various newspapers. In response, they published the explanation in 7 Marathi, 2 Hindi, and 2 English newspapers, as directed by the court.