Ahead of the October 13 elections in Maharashtra, the NCP-Congress combine seems to be facing one crisis after another.

Just when they thought they were over tickets-for-political-heirs issue, both the Congress and NCP now face a much bigger problem - mass rebellion in the ranks, ever since the candidate lists were declared. The parties are battling revolts from sitting MLAs, even former ministers.

The face of rebellion in the Congress is sitting MLA and former minister Sunil Deshmukh, whose seat went to the Presidents' son. The NCP is harder hit; the party is full of former Congressmen who moved for better opportunities, but were denied a ticket this time.

"I am contesting as an independent and I hope the people will for me because of my experience," says former NCP minister Digvijay Khanvilkar, who quit the party after being denied a ticket from Kolhapur. Others on the list of rebels are ex-minister Dilip Sopal who will contest as an independent from Barshi, and Karad's sitting MLA Balasaheb Patil who is also running as an independent.

The threat of rebellion in the Congress-NCP alliance is greater than that in the Shiv Sena-BJP. And while it will definitely delay their campaigns, the parties have till September 29 to get rebels to withdraw from the race.