National desk
24 October
Sandeep Dhand Ludhiana
The Supreme Court today directed Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar to continue using the ‘clock’ election symbol during the upcoming assembly elections. This decision came from a three-judge bench led by Justice Suryakant, in response to a petition from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) faction headed by Sharad Pawar.
The court also issued a notice to Ajit Pawar’s faction regarding the ongoing dispute over the ‘clock’ symbol. Earlier, on March 19 and April 4, the Supreme Court had instructed the Ajit Pawar faction to publish public notices in newspapers, informing the public that the issue of the symbol allocation was still under judicial review.
The bench clarified that Ajit Pawar’s group can continue using the ‘clock’ symbol until a final decision is made on the matter. The case revolves around which NCP faction holds the right to the party’s election symbol amid the ongoing leadership dispute.
This decision ensures that the Ajit Pawar faction can contest the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections with the same symbol while the legal dispute is resolved.