Mumbai: The NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) on Wednesday dared the Nationalist Congress Party led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar to give up the clock symbol and contest the Lok Sabha elections on a new symbol.
The Sharad Pawar group also stated that the Supreme Court's order on Tuesday has dealt a "body blow" to the Ajit Pawar camp.
Notably, the Supreme Court has asked Ajit Pawar-led faction to issue a public notice in newspapers in English, Hindi and Marathi saying the 'clock' symbol is sub-judice and its use is subject to adjudication.
The Supreme Court also allowed the Sharad Pawar faction to use 'Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar' as its name for the upcoming Lok Sabha and Assembly polls and to use as its symbol 'man blowing turha' (a traditional trumpet also known as tutari).
"This crucial decision made by the Supreme Court judges has delivered a body blow to Ajit Pawar's NCP faction. The court has warned that adherence to the tenth schedule of the Constitution is an important aspect in deciding cases pertaining to defections," NCP (SP) spokesperson Mahesh Tapase said in a statement.
This decision of the Supreme Court is not only a significant setback for Ajit Pawar's group but it also sets boundaries for other factions who may harbour ambitions of illegitimate political defections with the help of the BJP, he added.
"If Ajitdada's faction is left with even 1 per cent of self-respect; I challenge them to relinquish the clock symbol and face our candidates on a new symbol," Tapase said.
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