Meeting called by Sharad Pawar has no legal sanctity, say Ajit Pawar faction leaders

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], July 6 (ANI): The Ajit Pawar faction has claimed that the meeting of the national executive, national working committee, national office bearers, state party presidents of Nationalist Congress Party called by Sharad Pawar in New Delhi on Thursday has no legal sanctity.
Ajit Pawar faction claimed that the dispute of representation real NCP is within the jurisdiction of the ECI and no one has any authority to call for any meeting till the dispute is settled by the ECI.
"The dispute on the question of who represents the real NCP is within the exclusive jurisdiction of the ECI and therefore no person within the Party has any authority to call for any meeting of the National Executive/National Working Committee/ National Office Bearers / State Party Presidents till such time the dispute is finally decided by the ECI," said a press note released by the Ajit Pawar faction.
"The meeting of the National Executive, National Working Committee, National Office Bearers or State Party Presidents of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on July 6 has no legal sanctity whatsoever," the statement said.
"Further, any of the decisions which may be taken in the so-called National Executive, National Working Committee, National Office Bearers or State Party Presidents shall have no valid legal basis and shall not be binding on anyone in the Party," the statement said further.
The statement said that Ajit Pawar has been elected as the National President of NCP on June 30 with the overwhelming support of the majority of elected representatives of NCP as well as the members working on different organizational posts.
"Ajit Pawar has also filed a petition before the Hon'ble Election Commission of India (ECI), stating that he represents the real NCP and therefore, the name of the party along with the symbol be granted to him," the statement added.
Amid Maharashtra political crisis, a meeting of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leaders was called at the residence of party president Sharad Pawar in Delhi.
Earlier today, 13 NCP leaders, including PC Chacko, Jitendra Awhad, Fauzia Khan and Vandana Chavan arrived at the residence of party chief Sharad Pawar in Delhi to attend the National Executive meeting.
Sources revealed that Election Commission has received a petition from Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar staking claim to Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the party symbol.
The sources said the Election Commission has also received a caveat from Jayant Patil, who is with the Sharad Pawar group. He also informed the panel that they have initiated a disqualification process against nine MLAs who joined the Eknath Shinde-BJP government in the state on Sunday.
The politics of Maharashtra is on the boil since Sunday as senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar took oath as the state's deputy chief minister. Ajit Pawar joined the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government with 8 other MLAs and has claimed control over the Nationalist Congress Party.
On Wednesday, Ajit Pawar took a veiled dig at his uncle Sharad Pawar regarding his age that left the NCP Supremo's party members and loyalists fuming and resulted in a chain of reactions.
The junior Pawar also has blamed the 82-year-old Sharad Pawar for NCP losing out on the chance to have a chief minister of Maharashtra despite having the support of a majority of MLAs in the year 2014. (ANI)