NCP leader says Ajit Pawar’s lawyers told EC that Sharad Pawar ‘behaved like a dictator’ | India News

NEW DELHI: Ajit Pawar, who has staked claim to the Nationalist Congress Party, has told the Election Commission of India that his uncle Sharad Pawar “behaved like a dictator” and “never followed democratic principles” in the functioning of the party.
This was revealed by senior NCP leader Jitendra Awhad who was present at the Election Commission hearing to decide who will have control over the NCP name and symbol.

Ajit Pawar, who had led a rebellion against Sharad Pawar to split the NCP and join hands with the BJP, claimed support of 42 MLAs, six MLCs and 2 MPs from Maharashtra.

Awhad, who is the leader of the opposition in Maharashtra assembly, accused the Ajit Pawar faction of being “ungrateful” and “rude” towards NCP founder Sharad Pawar.
“It is sad that a person who nurtured them and ensured their growth has to face such things. It is unfortunate that a person who enjoyed power for more than 18 years has to direct his lawyers to make such remarks about Sharad Pawar,” Awhad said.
Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi appeared before the poll panel on behalf of Sharad Pawar, who was also present for the hearing.

Singhvi said the arguments made by the Ajit Pawar camp before the EC were “interesting, quite amazing and according to me non-existent in law”.
“They don’t want the organisational test. They know 99 per cent of the majority of the NCP cadre is with the man standing next to me (Sharad Pawar),” he said after the hearing.
Ajit Pawar’s lawyers, N K Kaul and Maninder Singh, in their submission said, “Under the circumstances, the petitioner submits that he enjoys overwhelming support in the organisational wing as well as legislative wing of the NCP and therefore the present petition may be allowed by the Hon’ble Commission by recognising the faction led by the petitioner to be the real Political Party.”
The hearing went on for an hour. In the first part of the hearing, the Sharad Pawar camp raised preliminary objections where it said the EC is obliged to determine as a threshold issue whether there is a dispute or not, Singhvi said.
“The Commission heard us but said it will not decide at this stage. That application we have liberty, that rejection we can challenge in a court if we wish. That decision we will take collectively later,” Singhvi said.
Ajit Pawar, in a well-planned move, had approached the Election Commission on June 30, two days before he made his revolt public, to stake claim to the party name as well as symbol. Ajit Pawar also declared himself as the party president with support of 40 lawmakers.
The Sharad Pawar-led faction had recently told the EC that there was no dispute in the party, except that a few mischievous individuals have defected from the organisation for their personal ambitions.
(With inputs from PTI)