India, Dec. 30 -- Chaos and a scramble for numbers dominated the halls of power 24 hours ahead of the deadline for candidates to file their nominations for the civic elections in Mumbai, to be held on January 15, while nomination centres wore a deserted look.

Both the ruling Mahayuti and Opposition alliance partners -- Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena, and Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) - were locked in a seat-sharing dispute till the end of working hours on Monday. One of the key reasons for holding back, say insiders, is the fear of rebellion in the ranks and candidates jumping ship at the eleventh hour. Meanwhile, with Congress and Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), and Ajit Pawat-led NCP entering the mi...