Mumbai, Jan. 14 -- Twenty-nine municipal corporations across Maharashtra will go to the polls on Thursday as a high-voltage campaign comes to an end on Tuesday, setting the stage for a decisive political contest in key urban centres including Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, Nagpur, Navi Mumbai, Thane and Pimpri-Chinchwad.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiv Sena are contesting the civic elections as allies under the Mahayuti banner, except in Pune, while the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has chosen to fight independently in most corporations.

However, in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, both NCP factions have come together under a joint manifesto.

The main political battle remains centred on Mumbai and Pune, where the BJP-led Mahayuti wil...