The two-judge bench said the Ajit Pawar faction had failed to carry out the directions of the court, even as it allowed the NCP faction led by Ajit Pawar-the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra-to retain the “clock” election symbol, subject to a declaration by Ajit Pawar to be filed within 36 hours on the outcome in the Supreme Court. A hearing is set for November 13, just a week before the assembly elections.
The Sharad Pawar faction has approached the Election Commission of India against the allotment of the clock symbol to Ajit Pawar’s faction and requested the allotment of a new symbol. It accused the Ajit Pawar faction of misusing the clock symbol by not publishing the qualifications that the matter is sub judice, which amounts to disregarding the earlier courtroom directives.
Leaders of Ajit Pawar’s faction were recently quoted as saying, “Nothing is going to happen. We will contest the election on the clock symbol.” The Sharad Pawar faction saw arrogance in that. The rival group also accused the Ajit Pawar faction of displaying videos of Sharad Pawar alongside the clock symbol.
Justice Dipankar Dutta, one member of the three-judge bench, notified them that no disclaimer was shown in any of the publicity materials issued by the Ajit Pawar faction. When the Ajit Pawar faction told the court that it had already complied with the order by issuing 52 notifications, Justice Dutta asked the counsel appearing for the Ajit Pawar faction when the disclaimer was shown on his group’s election publicity materials. The counsel for the Ajit Pawar faction replied that it was unknown when and where the photos were taken.
The Supreme Court, through various warnings issued to the Ajit Pawar faction, had stated that any violation of its order given in March-April this year would amount to contempt of court. The judges, therefore, directed the Ajit Pawar faction to give public notices in Marathi, Hindi, and English to spell out the interim arrangement regarding the symbol.
Despite petitions by the Sharad Pawar faction before the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, the Supreme Court did not ban the Ajit Pawar faction from using the clock symbol. However, it ordered that they declare to the public that litigation was pending before the courts over the symbol’s ownership.
Where the Sharad Pawar faction won eight, Ajit Pawar won just one. The verdict was no less discouraging for the ruling alliance, as the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi, comprising Congress, the Uddhav Thackeray fraction of Shiv Sena, and the Sharad Pawar faction, grabbed 30 out of 48 seats available in the state. The ruling alliance could secure only 17 seats, and an Independent candidate won one seat.
