It's Maha-Yudh in Maharashtra

MUMBAI The state that homes the Maximum City is also seeing the maximum confusion this poll season.

- PRIYA SAHGAL

At play here is not just a battle between the two alliances-the BJPled Mahayuti versus the Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi. After the splintering of the Shiv Sena and the NCP, the battle is many layered. And what makes it more intriguing is that neither party has offered a chief ministerial candidate.

At least not officially. With the Mahayuti going into the campaign with Eknath Shinde as the sitting Chief Minister it is expected that the current arrangement would continue, should the alliance get the numbers, unless of course the BJP does spectacularly well, at which point it would be difficult to deny Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis the job. However, Eknath Shinde has acquired the image of a deliverer and the election is being fought as much in his name as it is on the Prime Minister's appeal.

There are also those within the BJP's Central leadership who would rather go with Eknath Shinde than promote Devendra Fadnavis.

The MVA too claims that the winning MLAs will decide which party gets a shot at the CM's chair. But sources claim that Uddhav Thackeray has already secured an assurance from the Congress leadership to support his candidature. As a former CM, Uddhav Thackeray is currently the tallest leader in the alliance (taking Sharad Pawar's age and health into consideration).

Hence and not without its irony the battle for Maharashtra could well be a Sena vs Sena affair.