"Have Faith In Poll Body": Sharad Pawar Camp Leader Over NCP Name, Symbol Row

Nationalist Congress Party leader Jayant Patil on Saturday said his faction trusts the Election Commission of India to take the right decision on the party name and symbol amid the tussle with the group headed by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.

The Sharad Pawar-founded NCP split on July 2 after Ajit Pawar and eight MLAs, including Chhagan Bhujbal and Dilip Walse Patil, joined the Eknath Shinde government.

Both groups have petitioned the ECI for the party name and symbol.

"We have written to the ECI on the matter. These days the method of stealing parties is on but we have complete faith in the ECI to give the right decision," Patil told reporters.

"Sharad Pawar is the founder and president of NCP. Some people are trying to push him aside," he said in a swipe at Ajit Pawar who, immediately after the split, had said the NCP chief was over 80 years old and must give the reins of the outfit to the next generation of leaders.

Speaking on quota issues in the state, Mr Patil said a "caste census" must be conducted to give justice to Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

He also said Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar must take a quick decision on the disqualification pleas against several Shiv Sena MLAs, including Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

The Shiv Sena had split in June last year into factions led by Shinde, which got the party name and symbol, and former CM Uddhav Thackeray, whose group is now known as Shiv Sena (UBT).

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