New Delhi, Jul 5: The internal strife within the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has escalated to the Election Commission, with the faction led by Ajit Pawar submitting over 40 affidavits of support from MLAs and MPs.
In response, the camp led by Sharad Pawar has filed a caveat with the Election Commission, requesting to be heard before any directives are issued regarding the factional dispute, according to sources.
The Election Commission is expected to review the applications in the coming days and request both parties to exchange the respective documents submitted to the commission.
The NCP, established by Sharad Pawar in 1999, witnessed a split on Sunday when Ajit Pawar claimed the support of over 40 MLAs and joined the Shiv Sena-BJP coalition government in Maharashtra. Nine NCP MLAs, including Ajit Pawar, were sworn in as ministers during a surprise cabinet expansion on Sunday.
With senior party leaders Praful Patel, Chhagan Bhujbal, and Dilip Walse Patil by his side, Ajit Pawar asserted to be the authentic NCP. On the other hand, Sharad Pawar also claimed to be the real NCP and expelled Patel and Lok Sabha member Sunil Tatkare from the party.
Additionally, the NCP wrote to Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar, seeking the disqualification of the nine MLAs who were sworn in as ministers on Sunday.
