Mumbai, November 13, 2025: The chaos created by the split in the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on the political scene of Maharashtra has now come to an end. The Election Commission has decided to permanently cancel the 'pipani' symbol used for independent candidates, which has come as a big relief to the Sharad Pawar faction's NCP. Reacting to this decision, Shashikant Shinde, Maharashtra president of the Sharad Pawar faction, thanked the Commission on Twitter and also taunted that the late decision would have changed the political picture in Maharashtra. "If this decision had been taken earlier, the picture in Maharashtra today would definitely have been different," Shinde said, indirectly criticizing the Ajit Pawar faction for the delay in the Commission.
Political chaos over the pipani symbol: Consequences of the NCP split
The split of the Nationalist Congress Party was an important milestone in Maharashtra politics. In July 2023, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar split the party, challenging Sharad Pawar's leadership, and joined the Shinde-Fadnavis government. This split led to the party being split into two factions: one belonging to Ajit Pawar and the other to Sharad Pawar. The Election Commission gave the Ajit faction the official symbol of the party, 'clock', while the Sharad Pawar faction got a new symbol, 'a person playing a trumpet'. However, these changes made the symbol 'pipani' available for independent candidates, which looked similar to the trumpet symbol, causing great confusion among voters.
This confusion proved fatal for the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) in the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. Independent candidates took advantage of the pipani symbol to divide the votes of the Sharad Pawar faction, which prevented it from achieving the expected victory in many seats. In particular, the defeat of Shashikant Shinde in the Satara Lok Sabha constituency is believed to have been due to the confusion over the pipani symbol. Shinde had to accept defeat here, fighting against BJP's Udayanraje Bhosale. Similarly, a similar incident took place in Beed Lok Sabha constituency, where the Sharad Pawar faction candidate suffered a major setback. Udayanraje Bhosale had also spoken publicly about the Pipani symbol confusion and said that this symbol was used to mislead the voters.
The Election Commission took the issue seriously and after receiving many complaints, decided to permanently cancel the Pipani symbol. According to the Commission, the symbol was being cancelled because it was creating confusion among the voters and hindering the democratic process. This will help to avoid such confusion in future elections and make the election process more transparent.
Shashikant Shinde's sharp criticism: 'Late intelligence'
Shashikant Shinde reacted to the decision on Twitter, writing, "Had this decision been taken earlier, the political picture in Maharashtra and the country would definitely have been different today. It can be called late intelligence. Thank you to the Election Commission for permanently excluding the 'Pipani (trumpet)' symbol from the election symbols! This decision is a positive step for democracy and a clean election process." Shinde's statement makes it clear that although the Sharad Pawar faction got relief from this decision, the losses in the previous elections have remained. He further mentioned that the party had to pay a political price due to the confusion created between the workers and the voters in the Lok Sabha and assembly elections.
Shinde's statement is not only directed at the Commission, but also indirectly at the Ajit Pawar faction. At the time of the split, the Ajit faction claimed the official symbol of the party and the Sharad Pawar faction was given a new symbol. However, the Sharad Pawar faction continued to suffer losses due to the use of the Pipani symbol. According to political analysts, this decision will be beneficial for the Sharad Pawar faction in the future Maharashtra assembly elections, as now there is no possibility of confusion about the symbol among the voters.
Background of NCP split: Sharad Pawar vs Ajit Pawar
The Nationalist Congress Party was founded in 1999 by Sharad Pawar. This party was based on the politics of farmers, sugar millers and the Maratha community in Maharashtra. However, the split in 2023 split divided the party into two. The Ajit Pawar faction joined the BJP-Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) alliance and gained a share of power, while the Sharad Pawar faction took an opposition stance. The role of the Election Commission became important due to the controversy over the symbols that arose from this split. While the Commission gave the clock symbol to the Ajit faction, it gave the trumpet symbol to the Sharad Pawar faction, which was indicative of the Maratha heritage. However, this decision became controversial due to the similarity of the Pipani symbol.
Before the split, the NCP had more than 50 MLAs, most of whom went to the Ajit faction. However, the Sharad Pawar faction regained its strength by raising young leadership. Currently, with preparations for the Maharashtra assembly elections in full swing, this decision could be a strategic advantage for the Sharad Pawar faction. Political analyst Sanjay Barve said, "The cancellation of the Pipani symbol will protect the votes of the Sharad Pawar faction. However, due to the ruling position of the Ajit faction, the competition will still remain fierce."
Future impact: A positive step for democracy
This decision of the Election Commission is not limited to the NCP alone, but is important for the entire election process. There are frequent incidents of voters being deprived of their votes due to confusion caused by similarity of symbols. The Commission has already banned such symbols. This decision will force independent candidates to get new symbols.