New Delhi/IBNS: In a setback for veteran politician Sharad Pawar, the election commission has declared that his nephew Ajit Pawar-led faction is the "real" Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)

The decision was based on the bigger strength of MLAs Ajit Pawar has in the state assembly which is way bigger than what Sharad Pawar has.

The NCP has 53 MLAs in the Maharashtra Assembly of which 41 are with Ajit Pawar who has joined hands with the Eknath Shinde-BJP alliance 

The Election Commission has decided to give the party and its symbol to Ajit Pawar, media reports said.

Sharad Pawar has been asked to choose a name for his faction given the upcoming Rajya Sabha election.

They have been asked to convey the name and symbol of their faction to the poll body by 3 pm on Feb 7.

The split followed by the EC decision is seen as a huge loss of face for his 83-year-old uncle.