Former Congress MP and founder chairman of the factory Ahaysinhraje Bhosale and his minister of state nephew, also crown prince of Satara, Udayanraje, have locked horns over the sugar mill named after the hill fort which once stood guardian of the gaddi of Satara.

The elections are scheduled for June 5. His nephew's growing political ambitions have been the main problem for Bhosale senior, political observers here feel.

The relationship between Abhaysinhraje and Udayanraje strained particularly after the latter fought and won an Assembly by-election against the former's son Shivendraraje last year.

Udayanraje entered politics challenging his then MLA uncle's supremacy over thelocal municipal council in 1992. He then had built his own group in the municipal council.

He later contested the 1996 elections to the Lok Sabha as an independent candidate while his uncle was supporting the Congress candidate, now MPCC chief, Prataprao Bhosale. Udayanraje remaining in the fray helped Prataprao's defeat from Satara which otherwise has been traditionally a Congress bastion. Shiv Sena candidate Hindurao Naik Nimbalkar had won the Satara seat.

Bharatiya Janata Party managed to pursue the crown prince to officially join the party and he first was made vice-president of the Maharashtra Krishna Valley Development Corporation and after his winning the by-elections from Satara, he was inducted in the State Cabinet as the minister of state for revenue.

People of Satara who were with Abhaysinh got divided and some of them having differences with Bhosale senior readily accepted Udaynraje as their leader which helped him to form his own group against his uncle.

A few local leaders like formerPanchayat Samiti chairmen Balibhau Kadam, Shyamrao Phadtare, Jaysingrao Patil, Yashwant Dhone and Bhimrao Ghorpade left Abhaysinhraje to join hands with Bhosale junior.

Ghorpade later had contested the previous Assembly election against Abhaysinhraje as an independent candidate and lost by 51,000 votes.