Aurangabad (M'rashtra): Bahujan Samaj Party's (BSP) efforts to gain foothold in Marathwada, which has a sizeable dalit population, and rebellion may alter the political equation even as ruling Congress-NCP (Nationalist Congress Party) coalition and Shiv Sena-BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) slug it out for the 46 Assembly seats in this backward region of Maharashtra for the October 13 Assembly polls.

The ruling coalition's dismal performance in the 2004 Lok Sabha polls, where it managed to secure only two seats out of the total eight in Marathwada, has also provided boost to the morale of the saffron combine workers in the region.

Though rebellion in the Congress-NCP is not on a larger scale akin to Western Maharashtra, it could change the political equations at a few places, as BSP is also likely to make a dent in the Congress traditional votes of dalits and minor ties.

Mayawati's party has fielded nine members of the minority community and some dalits nearly half of them being Congress rebels, in Marathwada, may be a cause of concern for the ruling coalition.

Shiv Sena and BJP had secured 16 and ten seats respectively in the 1999 Assembly polls while the Congress and NCP got ten and five seats respectively.

Sena, riding on the crest of anger of youths from the other backward classes who felt neglected by the Congress Maratha leadership which controlled the co-operative sector and the politics of the region, spread its influence in the region in the late 80s.

At the same time, the BJP's duo of Pramod Mahajan and Gopinath Munde---both hailing from Marathwada-- worked for the spread of the saffron ideology in the region.

Another interesting aspect of Marathwada elections is that it will decide the fate of two former Chief Ministers and an ex-deputy Chief Minister.

Former Chief Minister Shivajirao Patil-Nilangekar, contesting from his pocket borough of Nilanga, is challenged by his grandson, Sambhaji Patil. Sambhaji's mother, Rupatai, a political greenhorn, contesting on a BJP ticket defeated the Congress stalwart Shivraj Patil in Latur Lok Sabha constituency, is certainly a cause of concern for Nilangekar-Patil.

Similarly, Vilasrao Deshmukh, the former Chief Minister is taking on his traditional rival Shivajirao Patil-Kavhear in his home constituency of Latur. It was Kavhekar, assisted by some senior Congress leaders, had humbled Deshmukh on his home turf in the 1995 Assembly polls.