NCP Clock symbol dispute: Supreme Court has sought a response from Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and others regarding a petition filed by the Sharad Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) over the use of the partys clock symbol. On Thursday (October 24), a bench led by Justice Surya Kant issued a notice to Ajit Pawars faction after the Sharad Pawar group accused it of non-compliance with the courts earlier directives. The court had previously instructed the Ajit Pawar faction to issue public notices stating that the use of the clock symbol is subject to the courts final ruling, following a plea by the Sharad Pawar faction.Previous Supreme Court ordersEarlier, the apex court had ordered the Ajit Pawar faction to publish advertisements in English, Hindi, and Marathi, clarifying that the allocation of the clock symbol is still under judicial review. The court allowed them to use the symbol temporarily, pending a final decision in the ongoing dispute.The Sharad Pawar faction argued that allowing Ajit Pawars group to use the symbol during the Maharashtra Assembly elections disrupted a level playing field. Consequently, the court directed Ajit Pawar to submit an undertaking proving compliance with the earlier orders.Sharad Pawar factions name and symbol rightsIn a previous ruling on March 19, the Supreme Court allowed the Sharad Pawar faction to use the name Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar for the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. The court also directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to assign the group a symbol within a week, which later resulted in the allotment of the symbol man blowing turha to Sharad Pawars group.Challenge against ECI verdictThe dispute over the clock symbol arose after the Election Commission recognized the Ajit Pawar faction as the legitimate NCP, granting them the official election symbol. The Sharad Pawar faction challenged this decision in the Supreme Court, seeking to prevent the rival group from using the clock symbol.
