Mumbai/IBNS: The Ajit Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has already knocked the door of the Election Commission staking claim for the party symbol, media reports said.

Ajit, who turned rebel against NCP supremo and his uncle Sharad Pawar, has claimed he has the backing of 40 elected party officials including MLAs, MPs and MLCs.

Ajit needs the support of 36- a two-third majority- of the total 53 NCP legislators.

The MLAs, whose support is claimed by Ajit, have been kept at a Mumbai hotel.

On Monday, the battle for supremacy over the NCP intensified after Sharad Pawar started taking action against Ajit Pawar and his associates, while on the other hand, his nephew Ajit Pawar removed the old timers from the post.

It started when Pawar Senior expelled Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare from the party and some time later, the Ajit Pawar faction removed Jayant Patil from the post of NCP state president and appointed Sunil Tatkare in his place.

After Sharad Pawar's action, Ajit Pawar and Praful Patel announced that Sunil Tatkare would be the new state president of the party.

However, Sharad Pawar has hit back saying the 'symbol won't go anywhere'.

Both factions of the NCP held separate meetings on Wednesday each showcasing the strength.