Election Commission Allows Sharad Pawar's Party to Accept Donations

The Election Commission has granted the Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar (NCP-SP) permission to accept donations ahead of Maharashtra assembly polls. The authorization comes after an appeal by the party to certify its status for public contributions. This decision remains effective until the Supreme Court's final verdict on the matter.

The Election Commission on Monday granted permission to the Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar (NCP-SP) to accept donations in preparation for the forthcoming Maharashtra assembly elections.

The Sharad Pawar-led faction had requested certification to receive voluntary public contributions.

The poll panel has allowed the party to ''accept any amount of contribution voluntarily offered to it by any person or company other than a government company,'' as per the Representation of the People Act, 1951.

An eight-member delegation led by working president Supriya Sule met the Election Commission on Monday.

''We could not previously accept contributions via cheques or receive tax benefits like other political parties. We aim for transparency in this election, using only white money. I appreciate the Election Commission for granting us permission to legally and transparently raise funds,'' said Sule.

This authorization will be effective until the Supreme Court delivers a final judgment on the petition challenging the Election Commission's decision.

In July of the previous year, Ajit Pawar's rebellion against Sharad Pawar split the party, leading the poll panel to allocate a new name and symbol to the Sharad Pawar-led faction as an interim measure.

The NCP-SP contested 10 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra, winning eight, while Ajit Pawar's faction won only one out of five contested seats.

Sule also raised concerns about similar-looking poll symbols, which could lead to voter confusion.

''In a democracy, there must be transparency and fairness. In Satara, our symbol 'man blowing a trumpet' was placed next to a similar 'trumpet' symbol, which caused confusion,'' Sule noted.

The Election Commission has agreed to review this issue.

(With inputs from agencies.)