Highlights: Sharad Pawar Says He's NCP Chief, Expels Rebel MPs Praful Patel, Sunil Tatkare

Sharad Pawar has written to the Election Commission over Ajit Pawar's petition staking claim for NCP symbol. "...would like to place on record our formal objections to the fact that the Hon'ble Commission despite receiving our caveats (as filed on 03.07.2023), has failed to inform us of this filing initiated by Shri Ajit Pawar. Further, it appears strange that if at all a petition was received on 30.06.2023 by this Hon'ble Commission, then the same should have been made available to the undersigned on 03.07.2023. On the other hand, if the petition had in fact been filed on 05.07.2023, the same ought not to have been taken on record without the copy of the same being served on the undersigned as the caveat was already filed on 03.07.2023. We would, therefore, request this Hon'ble Commission to clarify if the purported petition by Shri Ajit Pawar was in fact filed on 30.06.2023 or on 05.07.2023 and backdated to 30.06.2023 (as per certain news reports). This information will be extremely important to us to formulate an appropriate reply," he told the EC.

"I am the president of NCP, if someone says (that he is the president) then it is completely false, there's no truth in it. There's no importance if someone (Ajit Pawar) says something," says Sharad Pawar after party's national executive meeting in Delhi. "I am still effective, whether I am 82 or 92," he adds, replying to Ajit Pawar's age jibe.

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde today dismissed as rumours the claims of Opposition parties that he will not remain in the top post following Ajit Pawar's entry into the ruling coalition. "Whoever is saying these things must look at themselves and introspect and manage their own split-up party. Even Ajit (Pawar) Dada has confidence in the double engine government, so we will run the government together. They are feeling uncomfortable since now we have 200 MLAs. They have been saying I won't remain Chief Minister and the government will fall since I took oath. But, that didn't happen," said Mr Shinde referring to the Uddhav Thackeray camp.

The Ajit Pawar camp has called the Working Committee meeting called by Sharad Pawar in Delhi today as having "no legal sanctity".

"The dispute on the question of who represents the real NCP is within the exclusive jurisdiction of the ECI and therefore no person within the Party has any authority to call for any meeting of the National Executive/National Working Committee/ National Office Bearers / State Party Presidents till such time the dispute is finally decided by the ECI. Therefore, the meeting of the National Executive/National Working Committee/ National Office Bearers / State Party Presidents of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) today, i.e. on 06.07.2023 scheduled on 06.07.2023 has no legal sanctity whatsoever. Further, any of the decisions which may be taken in the so called National Executive/National Working Committee/National Office Bearers/State Party Presidents shall have no valid legal basis and shall not be binding on anyone in the Party," said a press note by his camp.

NCP chief Sharad Pawar has called for a meeting in New Delhi, after rebel Ajit Pawar knocked the doors of the Election Commission staking claim to the party name and symbol. Ajit Pawar seems to have backing of majority of the party's MLAs. Read more

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has no plans of stepping down and there is no tumult in the Shiv Sena over Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) rebel Ajit Pawar and his followers joining the government, the party said on Thursday. Read more