Use 'clock' symbol in Maharashtra assembly elections with disclaimer: SC to Ajit Pawar
New Delhi, Oct 24: The Supreme Court on Thursday directed Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar to use the "clock" symbol in its publicity material in the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections with a disclaimer that the matter was sub-judice before it.
Justices Surya Kant, Dipankar Datta and Ujjal Bhuyan passed the order on a plea filed by the rival Sharad Pawar-led NCP faction as it issued a notice to the Ajit Pawar-led faction.
The top court on March 19 and April 4 had directed the Ajit Pawar-led faction to issue a public notice in the newspapers in English, Hindi and Marathi editions notifying that the allocation of "clock" symbol was sub-judice. The apex court had further said the Ajit faction was permitted to use the symbol subject to the case's final outcome.
During the proceedings on Thursday, the bench took note of the submissions of senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who appeared for the Sharad Pawar faction. Singhvi submitted the opponent group should be restrained from using the "clock" symbol as it didn't use the disclaimer in their campaign materials and "misled" voters.
"They have been blatantly not using the disclaimer. They want to piggyback on me. Nobody should enjoy the goodwill of the symbol which is sub-judice," submitted Singhvi.
The top court directed Ajit Pawar to file a fresh undertaking over its March 19 and April 4 directions to issue a public notice -- "NCP's 'clock' symbol is sub-judice" -- was being meticulously complied with even during the process of the state assembly elections.
"File a fresh undertaking as well that you have not violated our directions in the past and till the end of elections. If there is any violation, we will take note of it. We expect both sides to comply with our directions. Please don't create an embarrassing situation," the bench said.
Singhvi said the Ajit Pawar group should be allocated a new symbol for the assembly elections.
Senior advocate Balbir Singh, appearing for Ajit Pawar, opposed Singhvi's submissions and said all pamphlets and campaign materials contained the disclaimers as directed by the apex court.
"They are showing false documents. We have given disclaimers in our publicity material. They came up with the same allegations during the Lok Sabha polls which was rejected. I am willing to file all documents and pamphlets," Singh said.
The matter has been posted for hearing on November 6.
Sharad Pawar moved the apex court against a February 6 order of the Election Commission of India (ECI) recognising Ajit Pawar-led group as the real NCP.
The ECI had allotted the NCP's "clock" symbol to the group led by Ajit Pawar. The NCP, founded by Sharad Pawar, had the "clock" as its election symbol before its split.
On March 19, the top court allowed the Sharad Pawar faction to use "Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar" as its name along with the symbol of a man blowing "turha" ahead of the Lok Sabha polls in the country.
It had passed the order on a plea by the Sharad Pawar group seeking to restrain the Ajit Pawar faction from using the "clock" symbol for the polls, as allotted by the ECI, on the ground that it was disrupting the level playing field.
The top court had observed the name and photographs of Sharad Pawar could not be used by the Ajit Pawar faction for political gains.
On February 19, the top court directed for the continuation of the ECI order allotting "Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar" as the party name for the Sharad Pawar faction.
Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar had on February 15 held the NCP faction led by Ajit Pawar to be the real NCP and said the anti-defection provisions in the Constitution couldn't be used to stifle internal dissent.
Sharad Pawar had founded the NCP with former Lok Sabha speaker Purno Sangma and Tariq Anwar in 1999 after their expulsion from the Congress.
Ajit Pawar had walked away with a majority of the NCP MLAs in July, 2023, and supported the BJP-Shiv Sena government led by Eknath Shinde.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
