India, Dec. 2 -- Maharashtra is set for a high-intensity battle on Tuesday, as voting has begun for the first phase of the long-awaited civic polls. The elections are also testing the ruling coalition's cohesion as the BJP and Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) are set for several "friendly fights".

Polling is being held across 242 municipal councils and 42 nagar panchayats to elect 6,859 members and 288 presidents in the state. The results for the first phase will be announced on Wednesday, December 3.

The December 2 polls are widely seen as the first major indicator of political sentiment since the BJP-led Mahayuti's sweeping victory in the November 2024 assembly elections, where it secured 235 of 288 seats.

But there are "friendly fi...