Maharashtra Speaker affirms Ajit Pawar faction as real NCP, rejects disqualification appeals for both sides

On Thursday (Feb 15), Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar asserted that the faction led by Ajit Pawar within the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is the authentic political entity, and the Assembly cannot disqualify the MLAs aligned with that group.

With a total of 53 NCP MLAs in the Maharashtra Assembly, Ajit Pawar's faction, consisting of 41 MLAs, holds the majority, while the faction led by his uncle Sharad Pawar has the support of 12 MLAs.

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"I affirm that the Ajit Pawar-led NCP is the true political party, possessing an undisputed legislative majority of 41 MLAs," declared Speaker Narwekar during the disqualification proceedings.

The Speaker recognised Ajit Pawar's faction as the official NCP and emphasised that NCP MLAs cannot be considered to have defected if they defy Sharad Pawar's demands.

This recognitions by the speakeris consistent with the previous announcement made by the Election Commission of India (ECI) that acknowledged Ajit Pawar's group as the true political party, after which they were given the party's moniker and clock symbol.

Following the ECI's decision, the Sharad Pawar-led faction adopted a new name, 'Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar.'

Addressing the issue of dissent within the party, the Speaker clarified, "None of the NCP MLAs from Sharad Pawar & Ajit Pawar faction were disqualified. Dissent in the party does not amount to defection. Desertion of a leader is not equivalent to desertion of the party. In the face of a leadership struggle, common party workers cannot remain neutral, and they are compelled to choose sides. The Speaker's office cannot be wielded to suppress opposition."

(With inputs from agencies)