What is known thus far about the NCP symbol battle: the EC hears Sharad and Ajit Pawar camps; the next hearing is on October 9

 What is known thus far about the NCP symbol battle: the EC hears Sharad and Ajit Pawar camps; the next hearing is on October 9

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is divided into rival factions, each led by the party's founder Sharad Pawar and his nephew Ajit Pawar. The Election Commission heard from these factions on October 6 and decided to postpone the proceedings until October 9.

The older Pawar appeared in person before the election panel since the stakes in the conflict over the party's name and its 20-year-old clock symbol are high.

Here is what we currently know:

- Ajit Pawar claimed to have the backing of 42 out of the 53 MLAs in Maharashtra, six out of the nine MLCs, all seven MLAs in Nagaland, and one representative from each of the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha. He had also filed a petition with the Election Commission laying claim to the party name and electoral symbol.

Senior attorney Abhishek Manu Singhvi represented Sharad Pawar in front of the election panel during the hearing. For Ajit Pawar, senior attorneys N K Kaul and Maninder Singh were present.

- "Under what happened, the petitioner submits that he enjoys massive backing in the Organisational Wing as well as The legislature Wing of the NCP and subsequently the present petition may be allowed by the Hon'ble Council by recognising the division led by the petitioner to be the real political party," Ajit Pawar stated in his submission to the electoral commission on Elections.

- The Ajit faction presented its justifications for its claim during today's hearing. On October 9, their discussions are anticipated to resume.

Later, Sharad faction representative Singhvi told reporters that Ajit Pawar's allegations were untrue. "We were in front of the EC today; the hearing lasted more than two hours. The first hour of the hearing was spent discussing how it was necessary to decide whether or not there is a dispute as a threshold matter.

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- Notably, on July 2, Ajit Pawar rebelled against his uncle and joined the Shiv Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Maharashtra government. While he was appointed as deputy chief minister, other senior NCP MLAs, notably Chhagan Bhujbhal and Dilip Walse Patil, who were once Sharad Pawar's allies, were appointed as ministers.

Former ministers Dhananjay Munde, Sunil Tatkare, and ex-Union cabinet Praful Patel, who was appointed the party's working president in June, were among the notable NCP figures that joined the uprising. 

Ajit Pawar sought the EC on June 30 to stake claim to the party name and emblem. He then declared himself to be the party president with the "support of 40 lawmakers," two days before defying Sharad Pawar to join the Eknath Shinde administration.

According to the Sharad Pawar-led faction, which is referring to the breakaway group led by Ajit Pawar, there is no internal conflict in the party other than a few naughty people who have left the organization for their own personal gain.