It has nominated Dr Mukesh Abdulpurkar, a medico, to take on Shinde in this Congress bastion. But the major battle will be between the Congressman and Lingaraj Balirayya Valyal (BJP). At the last hustings too, the two were pitted against each other and Valyal was defeated by a margin of more than one lakh votes.

Though Abdulpurkar is not viewed as a winning candidate, he is expected to gnaw into Shinde's vote bank and no one else is more happier than Valyal who is confident that he will win by a margin of one lakh votes this time.

Shinde, however, puts up a show of nonchalance saying that his social and political work spanning 25 years will see him through comfortably. As is his wont, however, he refuses to specify the margin of his victory while quipping, `let the voters decide'.

Shinde's residence has beentransformed virtually into a party office with an overwhelming stream of activists and locals besieging the place round-the-clock.

The constituency which goes to polls this Sunday, has a total of five candidates in the fray.