The Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday advised the Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) faction to try standing on its own legs and asked it not to use the picture of Sharad Pawar in poll campaigning with whom the party has "ideological differences". A Bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan also asked both factions of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by Sharad Pawar and his nephew Ajit Pawar to focus on the "battlefield" (Maharashtra Assembly elections) instead of doing rounds of the courts.
"Tell your party functionaries that they will not use old or new video clips or use the photographs of Sharad Pawar with whom your party is having ideological differences. You try to stand on your legs," the Bench told senior advocate Balibir Singh, appearing for the Ajit Pawar-led faction. It asked the Ajit Pawar faction to circulate an online circular among its leaders, party workers and representatives associated with the Assembly elections that they will not use the picture or video/audio clip of Sharad Pawar, whether it is old or new.
"People of India are very intelligent and they have a fair idea about who Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar are. They cannot be fooled so easily," the Bench told senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for Sharad Pawar group after he complained that an MLC from Ajit Pawar faction had circulated a video clip of Sharad Pawar to showcase his support.
The Bench said though people are intelligent enough to differentiate between both Ajit Pawar faction and Sharad Pawar faction but they may be confused for a short while in this era of Artificial Intelligence, where voice and pictures of leaders can be misused. The court was hearing a plea of Sharad Pawar alleging misuse of the 'clock' symbol and his picture by the Ajit Pawar-led group. The SC listed the matter for further hearing on Tuesday. Polling for 288 Assembly seats in Maharashtra will be held on November 20 and the counting of votes will take place on November 23.
