In July 2023, Ajit along with 40 NCP MLAs joined the Shinde government in Maharashtra. He was also made the Deputy CM in the coalition government. After rebelling against Sharad, Ajit had claimed that he had the majority of the NCP. Hence, he has the right to the party name and symbol.
Ajit had filed a petition with the Election Commission on June 30, staking claim to the NCP party name and election symbol. On the other hand, Sharad Pawar had demanded that the 9 ministers and 31 MLAs who had left the party be disqualified.
“Serious inconsistencies in terms of timelines in the claim of the Sharad Pawar group, in support of their claim of having organizational majority, resulted in unreliability of their claim,” EC stated.
The Election Commission’s decision is a major victory for Ajit Pawar and a setback for Sharad Pawar. It remains to be seen what name and symbol the Sharad Pawar faction will choose for their new party.