NEW DELHI: A day after veteran Maratha leader Sharad Pawar lost the original name of the party Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and its symbol 'clock' that he founded in 1999 to his rebel nephew Ajit Pawar's group, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has allotted 'Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar' as the party name for the group led by Sharad Pawar.

According to news reports, the ECI's decision came after the Sharad Pawar faction submitted three potential names and symbols for their faction of the political group which included three name suggestions namely, the Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar, the Nationalist Congress Party — Sharadrao Pawar and the Nationalist Congress Party-Sharad Pawar to the poll panel. Sharad Pawar's controlled NCP had also given preference 'banyan tree' as the election symbol for the party.

After declaring the faction of Ajit Pawar's NCP as the real NCP political group, the EC had asked the Sharad Pawar group to suggest three names of which one could be allotted in view of the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections in Maharashtra and it allotted the first option preferred by it. According to sources in Sharad Pawa's camp they had to provide options as asked by it considering the Rajya Sabha elections however they would be appealing against the ECI's decision in the courts.

The loss of the original party name and symbol has comes as a setback for senior leader Sharad Pawar against whom Ajit Pawar led a rebellion in July 2023 to join the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government.