Former Lok Sabha speaker Shivraj Patil from Latur, AICC general secretary Sushilkumar Shinde from Solapur and RPI leader Ramdas Athavale from Pandharpur are some prominent candidates contesting the LS seats. Deputy Chief Minister Gopinath Munde from Renapur, former chief minister Sudhakar Naik from Pusad, former revenue minister Vilasrao Deshmukh from Latur and former chief minister Shivajirao Patil Nilangekar from Nilanga are some prominent candidates in the fray for the Assembly seats.

The hectic campaigning saw Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, AICC president Sonia Gandhi, Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray, Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar, Information and Broadcasting Minister Pramod Mahajan and Chief Minister Narayan Raneaddressing a series of well attended election meetings in the State.

Around 2.61 crore voters -- 1.34 crores males and 1.27 crore females -- will exercise their franchise in the first phase.