Senior Congress legislators Sanjay Deotale and Madhukar Chavan are front-runners for the post of Maharashtra Assembly Deputy Speaker, party sources said.

"Deotale and Chavan are strong contenders for the Deputy Speaker's post, which will go to Congress as NCP MLA Dilip Walse-Patil was elected Speaker," the sources said.

Deotale is a four-term MLA from Warora Assembly Constituency in Vidarbha's Chandrapur District. Madhukar, senior Congress leader from Marathwada region, from where Chief Minister Ashok Chavan hails, is also a four term MLA from Tuljapur.

Madhukar was an aspirant for a berth in the newly-constituted state ministry. The new Deputy Speaker is likely to be elected during the winter session of state legislature, which begins in Nagpur on December 8, the sources said.

Leader of Opposition Eknath Khadse has demanded that the Deputy Speaker's post be given to the Sena-BJP Opposition alliance as it had ensured unanimous election of Walse-Patil as Speaker.

However, the ruling combine is in no mood to oblige, the sources said.