A little over a week after the Election Commission’s order granting the NCP name and symbol to Ajit Pawar, Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar endorsed it, recognizing Ajit Pawar as the real head of the party. Narwekar dismissed disqualification pleas filed by rival factions against each other’s legislators, thus not disqualifying any MLA from either faction. He severely criticized the misuse of the anti-defection law by political parties to stifle dissent. Narwekar emphasized the need to preserve democratic foundations and prevent ulterior motives from invoking the Tenth Schedule. The Speaker’s role is to maintain the integrity of the legislative process and not to eradicate opposition or quell dissent.