Now, there is a subtle change in equations, and the Maharashtra Congress appears to be making maximum mileage of the mood swing within these Independents to push for a third candidate when it can barely manage two on its own strength in the Assembly.

Around 25 Independents all Congress rebels propping up the Sena-BJP government, who met leader of the opposition Sharad Pawar while he was in the metropolis on Saturday, have pledged their support to the Congress's third candidate. However, this candidate might yet be an ``independent'', seeking among others, support from the constituents of the Progessive Democratic Front (other non-Congress secular parties) as well as from the rebel group within the Sena headed by former ministers GaneshNaik and Gulabrao Gawande.

Again, rebel Sena leader Ganesh Naik, who recently launched his outfit, Shivshakti, called on Pawar at his residence during the latter's jaunt to the city, saying he would support the Congress for the Rajya Sabha as well as the Legislative Council elections. However, in a press conference called later, the rebel leader said he would ``abide by the directives'' of the leader of the Shiv Sena legislature party. ``Whether for the ensuing biennial elections to the Rajya Sabha or the legislative council'', Naik said, he would follow the directives of the leader of the legislature party.

He however declined to say whether he continued to be a member of the Shiv Sena or had planned to quit the party. ``Do not ask me such questions. You know where I am,'' he said.

Referring to the alliance government's decision to suspend the licences of all the quarries in the Navi Mumbai area, Naik said the decision was taken when he was Forest and Environment Minister but it was decided later thatonly quarries in the ``dangerous zone'' would be closed and that steps would be taken for rehabilitation of the casual workers. ``The government took the decision to close the quarries, but no steps have been taken to provide alternate jobs to the workers,'' he added.

A senior BJP legislator also called on Pawar during his stay in the city. Six seats from Maharashtra fall vacant this July of which four are currently held by the Congress, the retiring members being Najma Heptullah, Dr Shrikant Jichkar, Sushil Kumar Shinde (since elected to the Lok Sabha) and Shivajirao Girdhar Patil. According to sources, the party has decided to nominate Heptullah and former Lok Sabha MP Sunil Dutt to the two seats it can win comfortably from the Assembly constituency. Each winning candidate is in need of 42 first preference votes. If it retains all its seats in today's by-elections, the Congress would still need two additional votes to ensure the election of its second candidate.

Despite the prevailing uncertainty onthis score the party appears confident and, accordingly, Vijay Darda, president of the Indian Newspapers Society, is being propped up by the Congress as an independent. might well prove to be the dark horse in the coming elections. Darda had also met Pawar on his last visit to the city and is believed to have secured the latter's blessings. So did Naik but the outcome of their meeting is not known.

Nandy's nomination irks Sena leaders

The Shiv Sena's decision to field journalist Pritish Nandy for the June 18 biennial elections to the Rajya Sabha has annoyed senior leaders, who point out that the scribe is a rank outsider who contributed little to the party.

``The Sena will have to pay a heavy price in the biennial elections for fielding a rank outsider. It should have learnt from past experience and refrained from nominating him for the RS elections,'' a senior Sena minister said. For elections to six seats, the Sena has fielded sitting MP Satish Pradhan, and Pritish Nandy. ``The party shouldhave nominated a hardcore Sena activist for the Rajya Sabha. Nandy may be a good journalist but his contribution to the party is almost nil,'' Sena sources said.