Congress and NCP, ruling the state for 15 years, said they have put behind the Lok Sabha election debacle and were confident of defying the anti-incumbency factor to pull off a fourth straight win at the hustings.
Buoyed by the success in Parliamentary polls, the Shiv Sena-BJP-led combine is making a determined bid to capture power after being in Opposition since 1999.
Congress and NCP, whose seat-sharing talks are deadlocked over the number of seats each of them would be fighting in the 288-member Assembly, have already started their election campaign separately.
"We are focusing on the development works done by the state government in the last 15 years. We will also tell people how the tall promises made by Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha campaign have remained a pipe dream," they said.
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"Congress is positive about continuing its alliance with NCP," Thakre maintained, while Malik said a decision on the poll pact would be arrived at by Monday.
Malik said NCP will formally kick-start its election campaign from Kolhapur on September 16.
Thakre said a campaign strategy is being finalised and the party is likely to invite leaders like Kamal Nath, Jyotiraditya Scindia and Mallikarjun Kharge for poll rallies.
Malik said NCP president Sharad Pawar would share stage with Sonia Gandhi at rallies, while the party's youth brigade would address joint rallies with Rahul Gandhi.
Meanwhile, state BJP president Devendra Fadanvis said the state is ready for "parivartan" (change).
"The Sena-BJP-led 'Mahayuti' (grand alliance) is confident of wresting power from the Congress-NCP and we would achieve this goal with help of the people of Maharashtra."
Neelam Gorhe, Shiv Sena spokesperson, said time has come to bring a change in the state which has seen "poor governance" in the last one-and-a-half decade.