The long interval between the polling dates and counting has caused anxiety among the candidates as well as their political workers. Whether the record polling benefits the ruling groups or the opposition will be known only after the counting results are out.

In the past, the highest poll percentage in Ahmednagar was 64 which was recorded in 1984, following the assassination of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. There was no particular wave during the present election and therefore, the political pundits find it difficult to say who will benefit by the record polling.

The polling percentage in Ahmednagar seat was 40.3 in 1952, 57.1 per cent in 1957, 55 in 1962, 61.7 in 1967, 57.6 in 1971, 58. 1 in 1977, 60.1 in 1980, 64 in 1984, 55.5 in 1989, 61.5 in 1991, 27.3 the lowest in 1994 bye-election, 50.73 in 1996 and 59.67 in 1998 elections.

The earlier polling record in Kopargaon constituency was 69.4, registered in 1980. The polling percentage in this constituency was 46.6 in 1952, 43.9 in 1957, 60.68 in 1962, 66.1 in 1967, 59.7 in 1971, 54.4 in 1977, 69.4 in 1980, 58.6 in 1984, 60.6 in 1989, 57.1 in 1991, 56.43 in 1996 and 64.85 in 1998.

In Ahmednagar constituency, the main candidates are Dada Patil Shelke of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Babasaheb Bhose of the Congress and Dilip Gandhi of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In Kopargaon, the contestants are Balasaheb Vikhe of Shiv Sena, Govindrao Adik of Congress and Gulabrao Shelke of the NCP.