Palghar, May 26: The Lok Sabha constituency of Palghar will be contested in a high-voltage electoral battle between the ruling coalition partners - Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiv Sena on Monday. While Congress and three other parties are also in the fray, pollsters have ruled out their chances of leaving an imprint in the by-elections.

The bypoll result will serve as a litmus test to gauge the political mood of Maharashtra ahead of the crucial general elections in 2019. The bypoll battle has also turned out into a "fight of ego", as pollsters describe it, between the Shiv Sena and the BJP. Though the two right-leaning parties are locked in an alliance to rule the state till October 2019, the two have constantly marked their dissident against one another. In case of a Sena victory, it would be further emboldened to challenge the assertiveness of BJP -- the senior ruling-party in the state.

Palghar Lok Sabha Bypolls 2018:

Date of voting & results: The elections are scheduled to be held on Monday, May 28, between 8 am to 5 pm. The Election Commission of India (ECI) will begin the counting of votes on Thursday, May 31.

Last results: In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the seat was won by BJP candidate Chintaman Wanga.

Reason For Bypoll: Chintaman Wanga's death on January 30, 2018 necessitated the by-election. The 67-year-old breathed his last at Delhi's Ram Manohar Lohia hospital, where he was rushed to after suffering a cardiac arrest.

Candidates in Fray: The Shiv Sena has fielded Srinivas Wanga, the son of the deceased lawmaker, after he jumped ship from the BJP following his father's demise. The BJP has given the ticket to Rajendra Gavit, a former Congress leader and state minister. The Congress has fielded Damoo Shingada and the Bahujan Vikas Aaghadi's nominee is Baliram Jadhav.

The bypoll has witnessed a bitter electoral battle between the BJP and the Shiv Sena. While the latter's star-campaigner has been the party president Uddhav Thackeray, the BJP had deployed CM Devendra Fadnavis along with his UP counterpart Yogi Adityanath.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 26, 2018 05:36 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).