The Supreme Court on Thursday sought a response from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) faction led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on a plea filed by the Sharad Pawar group which alleged misuse of his name and pictures for political gains.

The Supreme Court asked Ajit Pawar faction of NCP why it is still using Sharad Pawar’s photo for campaigning purposes as they are a different political party now. The apex Court said that the Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP had chosen not to be with Sharad Pawar. So why are they still using his picture and name for campaigning purposes. The Supreme Court further added that the Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP should move with its own identity.

The Apex court asked Ajit Pawar faction for a categorical and unconditional undertaking that the name and pictures of Sharad Pawar will not be used again. A bench consisting of Justices KV Vishwanathan, Surya Kant has directed the Ajit Pawar faction to submit its response to Sharad Pawar’s plea by Saturday. The next hearing of the case is going to take place on March 19.

 The Supreme Court even suggested that it is better for the Ajit Pawar faction should select a new symbol other than the clock symbol and use it for the elections. Earlier the Top Court had instructed that the Election Commision’s decision from February 7, which allocated the name Nationalist Congress Party – Sharadchandra Pawar for the faction led by Sharad Pawar, will remain in effect until further notice.

The Supreme Court had also requested a response from the Ajit Pawar faction regarding Sharad Pawar’s plea against the Election Commission’s February 6 order, which recognised the group led by the Maharashtra deputy chief minister as the legitimate Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). The Sharad Pawar faction on February 13 moved Supreme Court and challenged the Election Commission’s order.

The Union Home Ministry launched an online portal on Tuesday after announcing implementation of CAA just weeks ahead of the Lok Sabha Elections. The Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the Citizenship Amendment Act will never be taken back and the central government will never compromise with it.

Shah said it is their sovereign right to ensure Indian citizenship in India and they will never compromise on it. He added the CAA will never be taken back. The notification of the rules of the Citizenship Amendment Act or CAA came earlier this week which has sparked criticism from the opposition.

Responding to the reaction of the opposition parties, the Home Minister said even the opposition is aware that it has a very little chance of coming to power. He said CAA has been brought by the Narendra Modi-led government and it is impossible to repeal it. He said the government will spread awareness about it in the whole country so that those who want the law to be taken back do not get a place.

Shah said the opposition has no other work. He said they have a history of saying one thing and doing another. He added the history of Narendra Modi and the BJP is different. He said what BJP and Modi say is carved in stone. He said every guarantee made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is fulfilled.

He refused to accept that the BJP is using CAA for political gains. Shah talked about similar objections made by the opposition on crucial national security decisions. He pointed out that the opposition even claimed that there was a political benefit in surgical strikes and air strikes. He asked should the government not take action against terrorism? Shah added all political parties including Arvind Kejriwal, Rahul Gandhi and Mamta Banerjee are indulging in politics of lies.

Bhojpuri singer Pawan Singh took a U-turn on Wednesday week after opting out of the Lok Sabha elections race saying he will contest the general election to fulfil the promise that he had made to his society, people and mother.

Taking to X, the Bhojpuri star informed about it and said that everyone’s blessings and cooperation are expected. Earlier on March 3, Singh had said he would not be able to contest the elections from Asansol, just a day after his name was included in the first list of 195 candidates announced by the BJP.

His decision to opt out of the general election race on March 3 came after a significant social media backlash against the singer’s songs that contain objectionable references to Bengali women.

After his name was included in the BJP list, he extended his gratitude to BJP leadership for trusting him and announcing his name as the candidate from Asansol. Adding that, he said but due to some reason, he won’t be able to contest the elections from Asansol.

The selection of Singh, who hails from Bihar, for the Asansol seat had caused a controversy. Many have raised concerns over his discography, which includes several songs with derogatory references to Bengali women.

The criticism on social media did not go unnoticed, and the BJP reportedly anticipated that Singh’s candidacy might harm its chances in Asansol. Thus, a decision was made to drop him, and he was informed accordingly. Following this, Singh tweeted that he was withdrawing from the race.

The current representative of the Asansol Lok Sabha seat is Shatrughan Sinha from the Trinamool Congress party. Sinha won the by-poll held in 2022 after Babul Supriyo, a singer-politician who won the seat for BJP in the 2014 and 2019 general elections, switched to Trinamool Congress. TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee had tweeted about the strength and resilience of the people of West Bengal.