After Sharad Pawar's objection, our party started using Yashwantrao Chavan's name, photos: Ajit

Reacting on the apex courts directive, the Sharad Pawar faction of the NCP accused the Election Commission of India of taking a political decision in connection with allotment of party name and symbol.The apex court directive asking the Ajit Pawar group to not use the photograph and the name of our party president Sharad Pawar is a very welcome decision.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and NCP president Ajit Pawar on Thursday said his party initially used the name and photos of his uncle Sharad Pawar following a split but after the latter's objection started using the name and pictures of the state's first chief minister Yashwantrao Chavan.

The Deputy CM made the statement after the Supreme Court on Thursday sought a response from his party on a plea filed by the Sharad Pawar faction alleging misuse of the latter's name and pictures for political gains.

The apex court directed the Ajit Pawar-led party to give a categorical and unconditional undertaking that the name, pictures of Sharad Pawar will not be used.

Talking to reporters in his hometown Baramati in Pune district, Ajit Pawar said after he aligned with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-Shiv Sena government in Maharashtra, his party started using the name and images of Sharad Pawar.

''But after he (Sharad Pawar) objected to the use of his photos and name, and warned of action, we stopped using his name and photos. We are now using the photos of Yashwantrao Chavan, a cultured leader, and going to people,'' he said.

Founded by former Union minister Sharad Pawar, the NCP split in July last year after Ajit Pawar and the MLAs supporting him joined the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government. The Election Commission later allotted the party name 'NCP' and symbol 'clock' to the Ajit Pawar-led party, while the faction led by Sharad Pawar is now known as NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) and his outfit's symbol is 'man blowing tutari' (traditional trumpet).

Sharad Pawar considers Yashwantrao Chavan his political mentor. Besides being the first CM of Maharashtra, Chavan served as the country's defence minister and also the Deputy PM. Reacting on the apex court's directive, the Sharad Pawar faction of the NCP accused the Election Commission of India of taking a ''political decision'' in connection with allotment of party name and symbol.

''The apex court directive asking the Ajit Pawar group to not use the photograph and the name of our party president Sharad Pawar is a very welcome decision. This just proves that when the Election Commission of India gave the Nationalist Congress Party name and the clock symbol to the Ajit Pawar group, it was taking a political decision on the behest of the Bharatiya Janata Party,'' NCP(SP) national spokesperson Clyde Crasto claimed.

''Everybody in India and Maharashtra knows the clock symbol is identified with Sharad Pawar. We welcome it and we are happy the people of Maharashtra and India will not be confused with this game played by the Bharatiya Janata Party,'' Crasto added.

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