Maharashtra will witness one of the most interesting Assembly polls in its history in the wake of splits in the rival alliances of BJP-Shiv Sena and Congress-NCP, paving way for a five-cornered contest.

The splits have electrified the atmosphere, ahead of the October 15 assembly polls, amid talk that it could see charges and counter-charges galore between the friends-turned-foes. The fifth player in the polls would be Raj Thackarey's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) which has lost its sheen following spectacular performance by the BJP-Shiv Sena in the recent Lok Sabha polls which along with their smaller allies had secured 42 of the 48 seats.