While the Congress's star campaigners Sharad Pawar, Chhagan Bhujbal, and Madhukar Pichad were shouting down the ruling alliance and criticising its performance, the Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party were bickering over who should campaign and where in the state.

Finally, at a coordination committee meeting attended by Sena chief Bal Thackeray, Chief Minister Manohar Joshi, and Deputy Chief Minister Gopinath Munde, it was decided that the alliance leaders would jointly campaign for their nominees. Yet, differences between the alliance partners were evident. Both Thackeray and Joshi will confine themselves to the seats being contested by Sena nominees.

Thackeray will address election meetings at Kagal in Kolhapur on May 28, Mulshi in Pune on May 29, and Shingnapur in Parbhani on May 31. He willconclude his tour by addressing another meeting at Kannad in Aurangabad.He is unlikely to canvass for the Sena nominees in Ramtek in Nagpur district and Dahanu in Thane district.

Senior Sena leader Kanhaiyalal Gidwani will canvas in Ramtek. He will also coordinate election meetings with the BJP's leaders. ``Since an associate member had won in the last election, it should not be difficult for us to retain the seat,'' Gidwani says.

The Sena is contesting six seats - Mulshi, Kagal, Dahanu, Ramtek, Kannad, and Shingnapur, and the BJP four - Biloli, Akkalkot, Satara, and Rahuri. During his five-day tour, Joshi will visit Mulshi, Kagal, Dahanu, Ramtek, Kannad, and Shingapur. Munde will campaign for his party's candidates in Biloli, Akkalkot, Satara, and Rahuri.

In stark contrast to the combine's lethargy, Sharad Pawar addressed his first election meeting at Biloli in Nanded on May 18, where Balwant Chavan is pitted against the BJP's Madhav Patil. Next, he canvassed for Vyankat Kadam in Shingnapur, where theSena has fielded Manik Ambegaonkar.

Chhagan Bhujbal also kicked off his campaign on May 18, when he visited Ramtek where the Congress has fielded Anandrao Deshmukh against the Sena's Ashish Jaiswal. He later covered seven assembly constituencies, while leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, Madhukar Pichad, camped at Rahuri in Ahmednagar. The Congress has stepped up its attack against the ruling alliance. Taking centre-stage is the deteriorating law and order situation in Mumbai in particular and the state in general, second only to the farmers' suicides in Vidarbha. The dismissal of Sena leader Ganesh Naik from the Cabinet is also on its agenda.