It is seen as a preview of a power struggle with the NCP. However, this is unlikely to happen even if the NCP gets a chance to be part of the next State government, say party insiders.

Already pundits have begun pitting Naik against State NCP chief Chhagan Bhujbal whose proximity to party president Sharad Pawar and powers over the State unit are well known and have made him a natural leader. Bhujbal is seen, even projected at times, as a possible chief ministerial candidate should there be an NCP-led coalition government in Mantralaya.

In such a scenario, Naik's decision -- communicated as a sincere and repeated request to the party -- to fight Assembly election is considered as a step towards the chair. The theory doing the rounds isthat Naik would like another chance at being Chief Minister, if only to vindicate himself. He was asked to vacate the chair in March 1993 under disgraceful circumstances, for his inept handling of the Mumbai riots earlier that year.

However, party insiders dismiss this emerging competition as completely speculative. It is learned that Naik himself requested the Assembly seat for ``personal and health reasons'' with the party's parliamentary board. More important, he is understood to have assured the top brass -- including party president Pawar -- that he would not be a candidate for the chief ministerial job nor will he demand a cabinet post.

Naik refused to conform or comment on this but party insiders insist that it was a crucial factor in allotting Pusad to him.

Pusad is part of the Washim Lok Sabha constituency that Naik represented earlier. Former Union minister Ghulam Nabi Azad was elected twice from here. With Naik unwilling to take on parliamentarian responsibilities, the NCP has fielded JavedKhan, a former State minister and victorious candidate from Mumbai's Trombay Assembly constituency, to take on Congress veteran Anantrao Deshmukh in Washim.

Khan's candidature was declared on Monday along with three other Lok Sabha candidatures -- JT Mahajan from Jalgaon, Santosh Korpe from Akola and Shobha Potdukhe from Chandrapur.