ECI allows Nationalist Congress Party (SharadChandra Pawar) to accept public contributions ahead of Maharashtra assembly elections

New Delhi [India], July 8 (ANI): The Election Commission of India has accepted the demand raised by the ‘Nationalist Congress Party–Sharadchandra Pawar’ (NCP-SP) to accept voluntary contributions from public in view of the ensuing State Assembly Elections in Maharashtra.

The party had requested that the Commission issue a communication/certificate recording the status of the party for the purpose of accepting voluntary contributions from the public.

ECI in its communication dated July 8, 2024, has authorised the party to ‘accept any amount of contribution voluntarily offered to it by any person or company other than a government company’ in compliance under Section 29 B and Section 29C of the Representation of People Act, 1951, which govern the contribution to all political parties.

An 8-member delegation of the NCP-SP party led by their working President Supriya Sule met the Commission today at Nirvachan Sadan.

Section 29B of the Representation of People Act permits every political party to accept any amount of contribution voluntarily offered to it by any person or company other than a government company.

The Election Commission allocated the ‘Tutari’ (man-blowing trumpet) symbol to the Sharad Pawar faction after the party split in July last year.

Nationalist Congress Party (SP) chief Sharad Pawar in June exhorted his party workers to be ready for the Maharashtra Assembly elections scheduled later this year claiming that they will return to power in the State.

“Today I just want to say that in the last 25 years, we tried to spread out ideologies which will take the part ahead …since elections are nearby it is our collective responsibility to work towards the aim to work so that the power of the state will be in your hands after poll results,” Pawar said while addressing workers of the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) as the party celebrated its 25th foundation day at its office in Pune.

The NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar faction) managed to retain their political ground as part of the ‘Maha Vikas Aghadi’ (MVA) alliance during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The alliance won 30 out of the state’s 48 Lok Sabha seats- NCP (SP) bagged 8 seats while the Congress won 13 seats and the Shiv Sena (UBT) notched up nine seats in Maharashtra.

The ‘Mahayuti’ alliance witnessed a setback, bagging merely 17 out of 48 Lok Sabha seats in the state. The BJP won 9 seats and the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) won eight seats and the NCP are allies in the ‘Mahayuti’ alliance.