The Supreme Court is set to hear a plea filed by the Sharad Pawar-led faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) regarding the disqualification petitions against deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and NCP MLAs supporting him. The plea seeks a direction to the Maharashtra assembly speaker to expedite the decision on the disqualification petitions. The court announced that it will hear the matter on October 13 along with another petition regarding Shiv Sena MLAs.
Previously, on September 18, the apex court had asked the assembly speaker to establish a timeline for the adjudication of the disqualification petitions against Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Shiv Sena MLAs loyal to him. During the hearing, it was revealed that the disqualification petitions against Ajit Pawar and his loyal MLAs were filed on July 2 but did not receive any notice. On the other hand, one disqualification petition filed in September did receive a notice.
In July, the Sharad Pawar faction of the NCP had submitted disqualification petitions against Ajit Pawar and eight other MLAs who had taken an oath as ministers of the Shinde government. The Supreme Court, referring to its previous verdict on Maharashtra’s political crisis last year, asked the solicitor general to inform the court about the time schedule set by the speaker to decide on the disqualification pleas filed by different factions.
In a recent development, the Election Commission held a meeting on October 6 with the warring factions of the NCP led by Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar to address their claims over the party’s name and poll symbol. Ajit Pawar claimed support from a majority of NCP MLAs in Maharashtra, as well as MLCs and MLAs from Nagaland and the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha. On the other hand, the Sharad Pawar-led faction stated that there is no dispute within the party and accused a few individuals of defecting for personal ambitions.
With the Supreme Court scheduled to hear the plea regarding the disqualification petitions against Ajit Pawar and party MLAs, the NCP’s internal conflict and power struggle are likely to come under scrutiny. The court’s decision will play a crucial role in determining the future of the NCP and its leadership in Maharashtra.
