Pawar-led NCP points out forgery and errors in 20,000 affidavits filed by Ajit faction

The fraud relates to filing affidavits by dead persons and minors, taking names of positions, which never existed in the NCP constitution.

Mumbai The Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Thursday alleged forgery and errors in around 20,000 affidavits filed by the Ajit Pawar-led NCP faction before the Election Commission (EC) to stake claim over the name and poll symbol of the party. It also sought penal as well as criminal action against the rebel faction.

Calling them serious offenses, the Sharad Pawar-led party also requested the Election Commission to take penal and criminal action for filing false evidence and affidavits (HT Photo)

On Thursday, the EC held a hearing on the dispute between the two factions of the NCP. It was also the first day when the Sharad Pawar-led faction was allowed to present their side. Meanwhile, the election commission accepted contention of the rebel faction to start regular hearings on the dispute from November 20.

Sharing the details, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who is representing Pawar, said that the Ajit Pawar faction have presented fraudulent affidavits to support their fake case. “We have presented startling, shocking and amazing facts to show the complete falsity of the affidavits filed by the Ajit faction. To summarize them we have given 24 kinds of frauds covering 20,0000 affidavits,” Singhvi said.

“The fraud relates to filing affidavits by dead persons and minors, taking names of positions, which never existed in the NCP constitution, fraud exists in respect of simple words put in the affidavit by housewives, zomato sales manager etc,” he said elaborating the details.

Calling them serious offenses, the Pawar-led party also requested the election commission to take penal and criminal action for filing false evidence and affidavits.

In response, Sunil Tatkare, Maharashtra president of the rebel NCP faction said there were technical errors, which are minor in nature. He also said that these points were raised by the other faction as an attempt to postpone the hearing. “They were trying to postpone the hearings by pointing out minor technical errors. The election commission accepted our demand for a regular hearing, which will start from November 20,” Tatkare told reporters.