Chhindwara/Mandla, May 4: Till afternoon yesterday, it was a question of lungpower. Now that the deadline is over, it’s time for muscle power.

In the last 24 hours since campaigning ended for the third round of voting, several districts of Mahakaushal going to polls tomorrow have seen pitched battles involving Congress, BJP and Gondwana Gantantra Party workers that have resulted in injuries to dozens.

This has sparked fears that there could be violence during tomorrow’s voting, of the kind that happened in Bihar’s Chhapra in the second round.

In Mandla district, activists of the Gondwana party pelted stones at Union minister Phagan Singh Kulhaste’s car and also manhandled him while he was returning from Chak Dhenia near Niwas tehsil. Later in the evening, police registered cases against unnamed persons.

Sources said the Gondwana party workers retaliated after the BJP’s bid to intimidate Shel Kumar Pandro, an influential leader of the outfit, at Imigaon, where a group travelling in a jeep allegedly tried to kidnap him.

In Chhindwara, which witnessed violence last night as well as this morning, about three dozen Congress workers loyal to All-India Congress Committee general secretary Kamal Nath were injured in Chindi. Mohammad Saleem, a former vice-president of the Bhopal Development Authority, was mercilessly beaten up by a mob that left him with a few fractures.

Former state minister Mukesh Naik has accused chief minister Uma Bharti of “pressuring” the local administration not to register cases against “BJP goons”.

BJP and Congress workers also clashed at Haroi after the two sides accused each other of luring voters with liquor and cash.

Chhindwara, Mandla, Seoni, Balaghat and other areas of the Mahakaushal region do not have a history of poll-related violence. But this time, the stakes are high. There are reports that hundreds of political workers from outside are camping in these districts to “manage” the polls in these prestigious constituencies.

According to the Congress, BJP-RSS-Bajrang Dal cadre from Chhattisgarh has crossed over to bail out Union minister of state Prahlad Patel, who is pitted against Nath.

The BJP, on its part, paints Nath as the villain who is mixing money and muscle power to retain the seat for the eighth time.

Many believe the chief minister is fighting a proxy battle in Chhindwara against Nath. Her “interest”, sources said, seems to have triggered a chain reaction, making Chhindwara a do-or-die battle between the BJP and the Congress.

In neighbouring Mandla, it is a similar story where the Gondwana party has replaced the Congress as the BJP’s challenger.

The Gondwana Gantantra Party is a local Gond outfit, which wants to assert its tribal identity. This has not gone down well with local BJP and Congress leaders.

The district administration seems to have turned a blind eye to the strong-arm tactics, as it does not relish the prospect of annoying the ruling party, the main Opposition party and the local outfit. But it could prove costly tomorrow when voting takes place in these constituencies.