After a fierce exchange of barbs between Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday, the ruling Sena and BJP will formally slug it out in the Kalyan-Dombivli and Kolhapur Municipal Corporations, scheduled for Sunday.
Though the results of the polls to the two major municipal corporations may not have any immediate bearing on the stability of the saffron alliance Government in the State, but the Sena will definitely sharpen its periodic attacks against its senior alliance partner, BJP, in the event of the party coming up trumps in the polls.
The Sena and BJP, which are contesting the polls on their respective strengths, have made it a prestige issue to power in the two municipal corporations. Both the parties are claiming that they would romp home in the polls.
With three candidates having been declared unopposed and there were nominations at all in two of the wards, elections will be held to 117 seats out of a total of 122 seats. There are in all 750 candidates for 117 seats. While the Sena has fielded 115 seats in Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC), the BJP has fielded 109 seats.
There are in all 506 candidates for 81 seats in the Kolhapur Municipal Corporation. Apart from two municipal corporations, 62 Nagar panchayats and 2,000 gram panchyats are going to polls on Sunday.