The political landscape in Maharashtra took a new turn as the Election Commission of India (ECI) assigned a fresh symbol to the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) faction helmed by Sharad Pawar, shortly after giving the NCP name and the original ‘clock’ emblem to Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s group. This new symbol, depicting a ‘man blowing turha’, resonates with a traditional trumpet, better known as ‘Tutari’. The symbol carries rich historical significance as it is reminiscent of the valor of Maharashtrian legend Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, whose Tutari once reverberated against the Emperor of Delhi. NCP’s Sharadchandra Pawar faction equated this with a signal of readiness to challenge the powers in Delhi under Sharad Pawar’s leadership.
In the backdrop of political rifts that climaxed in July of the preceding year, triggering the bifurcation of Sharad Pawar’s NCP after Ajit Pawar and a cohort of legislators sided with the Eknath Shinde government, these developments point to a political rebranding of sorts. While the ECI’s move earlier in the month-which had granted the original NCP name and ‘clock’ symbol to Ajit Pawar’s faction- was met with resistance from Sharad Pawar, who contended such actions violated legal precedents, the bid for the party’s identity nevertheless progressed.
The NCP patriarch did not take the alterations lightly and approached the Supreme Court, which decided to maintain the status of the ‘NCP-Sharadchandra Pawar’ name for his faction until a further verdict is reached. Meanwhile, the NCP (SP) prepares to advance its campaign, wielding the ‘Tutari’ as a potent symbol to energize their electorate for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The Tutari, which is linked to Maharashtra’s culture and history, is a brass trumpet used by the Maratha armies, and it remains prevalent in the state’s social and official events. The NCP faction loyal to Sharad Pawar views this as an honorable badge that signifies their resilience and impending quest to impact the national political scene.