The Ajit Pawar faction on Wednesday filed a caveat in the Supreme Court seeking a hearing if the Sharad Pawar group moves before it challenging an Election Commission order recognising the party led by the Maharashtra deputy chief minister as the real Nationalist Congress Party.

The caveat has been filed through advocate Abhikalp Pratap Singh to ensure that no ex-parte order is passed against the Ajit Pawar faction if the other group moves the top court.

On Tuesday, the Election Commission (EC) announced that the Ajit Pawar faction is the real NCP, in a major setback to party founder Sharad Pawar.

The poll panel also allotted the NCP symbol 'clock' to the group led by Ajit Pawar.

The decision followed the laid-out tests of maintainability of such a petition which included tests of aims and objectives of the party constitution, test of party constitution and tests of majority both organisational and legislative, the EC said.

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