Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party, which contested 10 seats and won 8, has received significant relief from the Election Commission. To avoid confusion in future elections regarding the "Tutari" symbol, the Election Commission has accepted a request from the Sharad Pawar faction to freeze the symbol. This decision comes as a boost for the Pawar faction ahead of the Assembly elections. The 'Trumpet Blower' symbol alloted to NCP(SP)'s candidates and 'Trumpet' alloted to some independent candidates in the same constituencies caused great confusion among voters.
The Sharad Pawar group had requested the Election Commission to ensure that if a candidate is assigned the "Trumpet" symbol, it should be referred to strictly as "Trumpet" and not "Tutari." This request has been granted, providing a timely advantage to the Pawar faction as the Assembly elections approach.
Additionally, the Sharad Pawar party had demanded the cancellation of the "Whistle" symbol. Responding to this, the Election Commission has frozen the symbol, meaning no independent candidate will be assigned the "Tutari" symbol in the upcoming elections. This move is expected to benefit the Pawar faction in the Assembly elections.
Despite the symbol confusion during the Lok Sabha elections, the Sharad Pawar faction managed to secure 8 out of 10 seats, achieving an 80% strike rate—an accomplishment unmatched by any other party. Notably, when the NCP was united, their best performance in the Lok Sabha was winning 9 seats. Despite significant internal splits and the loss of both the party symbol and name, Sharad Pawar's faction made a remarkable comeback by winning 8 seats.
In several constituencies during the Lok Sabha elections, independent candidates were assigned the "Trumpet" symbol, but it was often referred to as "Tutari," leading to voter confusion. This confusion, particularly between the "Tutari" and the "Tutari Blower" symbols, impacted the Sharad Pawar faction adversely in constituencies like Dindori, Beed, and Satara. In Dindori, an independent candidate with the "Tutari" symbol secured nearly 100,000 votes, while in Satara, Sharad Pawar's candidate Shashikant Shinde lost by 37,062 votes, with independent candidate Sanjay Gade, who was given the "Tutari" symbol, receiving 37,000 votes.