The Election Commission of India has recognized the Ajit Pawar-led faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) as the official party and granted it the party’s “clock” symbol. This decision comes nearly a year after the election body recognized the Eknath Shinde-led faction of the Shiv Sena as the official Shiv Sena, dealing a major blow to the Sharad Pawar faction. The ECI stated that the “test of legislative majority” helped the Ajit Pawar faction to clinch the NCP symbol. The commission also recognized 41 MLAs from Maharashtra and seven from Nagaland, as well as two MPs, as being with the Ajit Pawar faction. The Sharad Pawar faction will be recognized as a separate party, and for the Rajya Sabha election, they can claim a new name. The Sharad Pawar faction has criticized the decision as a “murder of democracy,” while the Ajit Pawar faction has celebrated the ruling of the EC and stated that their decision has been proven correct.
European Commission officially recognizes Ajit Pawar’s faction as the official NCP and allots symbol based on ‘legislative majority’
