In Pawar vs Pawar, a 50-year-old gambit now before poll body

Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi has raised a new issue before the ECI. The ECI is hearing a dispute between Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar factions, the latter being represented by Singhvi. Ajit Pawar has, along with Praful Patel, urged it to declare his bloc as the real NCP and allot the clock symbol to it.

So far, Sharad Pawar's contention was that the Ajit Pawar bloc had filed false and fabricated documents before the ECI to gain control over NCP. Singhvi had even submitted documents before the ECI. Ajit Pawar had submitted an affidavit signed by the NCP secretary. However, at a previous hearing, Sharad Pawar presented that person, saying he continues to be with him.

When it appeared that the hearing was in the final stage, Singhvi unexpectedly raised a new point. Taking a leaf out of a five-decade-old case filed by veteran Congress leader Brahmanand Reddy against Indira Gandhi, he told the ECI that Ajit Pawar's application was liable to be dismissed since there was no pre-existing dispute between his and Sharad Pawar's factions. Singhvi's contention was that a dispute cannot be created overnight; it has a history. Ever since the party's formation in 1999 and till June 30, 2023, there was no dispute. In fact, all documents pertaining to the election of Sharad Pawar had been signed by Ajit Pawar and Patel. Suddenly, on June 30, the Ajit Pawar camp moved the ECI and claimed the party name and symbol. It is a piquant situation before the ECI in view of Singhvi's new arguments.

Sarpanch in ACB net

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) arrested Ujwala Satish Rajput, sarpanch of Kokangaon village in Ahmednagar, and her farmer husband, Satish Baban Rajput, who assisted her with day-to-day administration work, while accepting a bribe of Rs 40,000 a fortnight ago from a government contractor who was allotted work for road repairs and construction of a wall.

He completed the work within the deadline and submitted a bill of Rs 4.6 lakh, but Satish demanded a bribe of 10% of the amount first. The contractor sought the ACB's help, which caught the sarpanch while accepting the bribe. Now, the biggest challenge before the ACB will be to ensure Ujwala and Satish's conviction.