The Supreme Court on Wednesday questioned the Ajit Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) as to why it was repeatedly using the name of veteran leader Sharad Pawar – head of the rival Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Chandra Pawar) – during the campaigning for the ongoing State assembly elections in Maharashtra.

A bench comprising Justice Surya Kant and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan told the Ajit Pawar faction that they must fight the elections under their own identity and refrain from using Sharad Pawar’s name during the electioneering.

Asking Ajit Pawar to stand on his own and instruct his party members not to use pictures and videos of Sharad Pawar, the bench observed that voters are wise enough to see through any confusion.

“You try to stand up on your own legs, now that you have ideological differences with Sharad Pawar,” it said.

In the earlier hearing, the top court had directed the Ajit-Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) to publish disclaimers in newspapers, including Marathi dailies, stating that the use of the ‘clock’ symbol by his party remains a sub-judice matter.

Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for the Sharad Pawar faction, told the bench that the Ajit Pawar faction was not complying with the top court order and it was continuing to piggyback on the veteran leader’s goodwill.

To this, the bench said people are wise enough to differentiate between Sharad and Ajit Pawar.

“We should not underestimate voters also,” said the bench.

Telling both Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar factions to concentrate on their side of the battlefield, the bench said, “People of this country are very wise and know how to vote and can differentiate who is Sharad and Ajit Pawar. Order of court should be faithfully complied with and respected. We are not sure if videos influence or not and how much.”

The observation by the top court came in the course of the hearing of an application by the Sharad Pawar group alleging violation of the conditions of the court order by the Ajit Pawar faction.

On March 19, the top court allowed the Ajit Pawar faction to use the ‘clock’ symbol, with certain conditions, including that his party will issue a public declaration that the use of the ‘clock’ symbol by it for the Lok Sabha and the Maharashtra Assembly Elections is sub-judice, and subject to the outcome of the challenge by the faction headed by senior Pawar to the decision of the ECI recognising the Ajit Pawar faction as the real NCP.

It had also asked the Ajit Pawar faction not to use the name and images of Sharad Pawar in its campaign materials.

Following a rift between the Sharad Pawar and the Ajit Pawar factions of the NCP, the Election Commission of India recognised the Ajit Pawar’s party as the real NCP based on its legislative majority and allotted the ‘clock’ symbol to it.

The top court had asked the Sharad Pawar faction to use the name ‘Nationalist Congress Party-Sharad Chandra Pawar’ for the upcoming elections and adopt the “man blowing turha” symbol.

Earlier, the top court had directed that the Election Commission’s order, dated February 7, 2024, allotting ‘Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar’ as the party name for the Sharad Pawar faction, will continue until further orders.