The internal fight is for the party ticket for the Pune Lok Sabha seat.

A similar war had raged between the two factions before the 2007 civic polls. Back then, Gadkari loyalists managed to walk away with most of the party tickets for the civic polls.

In fact, the head-on collision between the two sides during the civic polls had even cost Munde-confidant Anil Shirole the party ticket.

He was denied a berth at the eleventh hour, to make way for Gadkari-supporter Vikas Mathkari.

Shirole was later accommodated in the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) general body as nominated councillor while Mathkari went on to become the party leader in the civic body and also the leader of opposition in the PMC until the Bombay High Court recently decided that the post must go to the Congress.

Now, with Lok Sabha polls on the horizon, the two factions have become active again and are working separately to garner popular support.

Munde has been projecting Shirole as the candidate for the Pune Lok Sabha seat. Similarly, Mathkari has expressed his desire to contest the ok Sabha poll. Both leaders have already launched separate campaigns to reach out to voters.

To add to the confusion among party workers, former MP and veteran party leader Anna Joshi has also aired his intention to again represent the party in the polls.

According to Shirole, the best thing in his favour is his public image. Shirole, senior party leader and a Mahrashtrian, said, "I have expressed the desire to contest the Lok Sabha polls as there is good support for me within and outside the party due to my clean image."

There is no doubt that there will be more aspirants for the party candidature, he said, adding, "The decision will be taken by senior leaders, but I am not taking any chances and am working hard to reach out to as many people as possible."

Staking claim to the seat, Mathkari says he is the most eligible candidate because of the city's cosmopolitan nature. “The maximum number voters is the youth having an average age of 34 years. Thus, the ticket to a young face would benefit the party. I am a young candidate and have direct access to the youth, being a college professor.”

He said the voter configuration had changed and the party, which had a strong hold in the old part of the city, can get additional votes from new people settled in the city. "I have my roots in Marathwada and good a chunk of the new voters have their connections in the region," Mathkari said, adding, his experience of 15 years in the PMC will help him win the election.