The Supreme Court told Ajit Pawar’s group in the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) that they should not use Sharad Pawar’s name, photos, or videos in their election campaigns for the November 20 Assembly elections. The court gave this order to avoid any possible confusion among voters, according to a report by Bar and Bench.

A bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan advised Ajit Pawar’s faction, saying, “You try to stand up on your own legs, now that you have ideological differences with Sharad Pawar.”

SC questions Ajit Pawar's use of Sharad Pawar's name in campaigns

The court expressed concern about the repeated use of Sharad Pawar’s name in online content put out by Ajit Pawar’s NCP. “Why is the name of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP-SP) supremo Sharad Pawar being repeatedly used in online content put up by Ajit Pawar-led NCP?” the court asked.

The court had earlier directed Ajit Pawar's faction to add a disclaimer in its election ads, clarifying that the use of the clock symbol is still under legal review. Ajit Pawar’s group agreed in a previous hearing to publish new disclaimers in Marathi newspapers regarding the symbol's use.

Sharad Pawar’s faction had raised concerns, stating that Ajit Pawar’s group was creating confusion among voters by using the clock symbol without disclaimers.

Who is Ajit Pawar?

Ajit Pawar was born in Deolali Pravara, in the Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra. His father, Anantrao Pawar, was the brother of Sharad Pawar, who is the president of the Nationalist Congress Party and has served as Chief Minister of Maharashtra four times. Ajit attended school in Deolali Pravara but left college to support his family after his father passed away.

Ajit has had a long political career. He was the Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly from 2022 to 2023 and previously represented the Baramati constituency in the Lok Sabha in 1991. Over the years, he has also served as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra multiple times.