Will Ajit Pawar now stake claim on NCP headquarters after EC's 'real NCP' verdict? 10 key points

Maharashtra Political crisis: In a major setback for party founder Sharad Pawar, The Electon Commission (EC) on Tuesday declared Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister -led faction as the “real" Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). The EC has provided the Sharad Pawar faction with an option to claim a name to its new political formation and provide three preferences to the Commission. The concession is to be utilised by 3 pm today i.e. on February 7, 2024.

1. After name and symbol, reports have also claimed that Ajit Pawar is also likely to stake claim on NCP headquarters in Mumbai. Ajit Pawar is expected to formally communicate their demands in order to obtain the party office through legal means, sources told India Today. The report further added that the party office was given by the government and is not from the party’s welfare funds.

2. After the EC's decision, the NCP faction led by Sharad Pawar is now set to set to approach the Supreme Court. “Will approach Supreme Court, it is our last hope," added NCP MLA Jayant Patil.

3. Party spokesperson Clyde Crasto however insisted that the news did not come as a surprise. “Ajit Pawar faction leaders had been continuously saying that they would get the name and the symbol, with date... In 1999, NCP was founded by Sharad Pawar... Everybody knows that the NCP belongs to Sharad Pawar... A few months they claimed the party and the EC gave it to them... Sharad Pawar is the chief of the NCP which is there in 28 states... 25 out of them backed Sharad Pawar. Now the Supreme Court has to tell what the truth behind all of this is..." he added

4. On 7 February, Former Haryana CM and Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda also arrived at the residence of Sharad Pawar.

5. Reacting to the EC's