Maharashtra assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar will start hearing petitions seeking disqualification of MLAs from rival Nationalist Congress Party factions from January 23, a leader of the Sharad Pawar-led NCP said on Saturday.

The NCP split in July last year after Ajit Pawar and eight party MLAs joined the Eknath Shinde-led state government. Since then, both factions have laid claim to the party name and symbol and have petitioned the Speaker seeking disqualification of those owing allegiance to the other side.

Talking to reporters, the Sharad Pawar-led group's Maharashtra unit chief Jayant Patil said he came to the state legislature complex here on Saturday with the anticipation that his statement will be recorded.

"But the Ajit Pawar faction sought more time to study the affidavits filed by us and the Speaker has given time to them. The hearing will start from January 23" he said.

"It is now six months since some of our colleagues joined the government. We filed disqualification pleas against them. But it looks like the schedule in this case is prepared keeping in mind the Lok Sabha election schedule," Patil alleged.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has heard our case and the order is expected any time, he said.

The NCP was founded by former Maharashtra chief minister and former Union minister Sharad Pawar in 1999. Since its formation, the party remained part of the Congress-led government in the state until 2014, when BJP and undivided Shiv Sena came to power.

In November 2019, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government comprising the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress was formed. But it collapsed in June 2022 following the rebellion by Eknath Shinde.

After that, the Shinde-led government of Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power. NCP leader Ajit Pawar and eight MLAs of the party joined the government in July last year.

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