Of three seats in Sindhudurg, Kudal is set for an interesting battle, even if it may not match the drama of 2014, when Sena's Vaibhav Naik stunned former CM Narayan Rane by 9,000 votes. This time, Rane loyalist Ranjeet Desai will take on Naik.

However, it is not the same as a family member contesting for the seat, and experts and local citizens feel it will be a cakewalk for the Sena, unlike Kankavli and Sawantwadi segments. In Kankvali, Rane's son Nitesh (BJP) will take on the Sena's Satish Sawant, a former Rane associate. In Sawantwadi, minister of state for finance and home department, Deepak Kesarkar (Sena) will take on another Rane aide Rajan Teli (BJP).