MUMBAI (PTI): The Sharad Pawar camp on Tuesday described as the "murder of democracy" the Election Commission's decision to declare the Ajit Pawar faction as the real Nationalist Congress Party which it claimed was taken under pressure, whereas ex-Union minister Praful Patel welcomed the ruling.

The Commission also allotted the NCP symbol 'wall clock' to the group led by Ajit Pawar.

"This is the murder of democracy. What happened is unfortunate,” former Maharashtra minister Anil Deshmukh said.