Mumbai, Feb 23 (IANS): A mystery campaign with posters of various top Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) being projected as 'Future CM' (Chief Minister) has been witnessed in different parts of Mumbai in the past few days, leaving the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) perplexed.

Last week, a huge poster went up in south Mumbai proclaiming NCP state President Jayant Patil as a 'Future CM' of Maharashtra.

This week, it was followed by similar posters depicting Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar, and his cousin - NCP President Sharad Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule - as the 'Future CM'.

The NCP's allies in the MVA, Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders and spokespersons have declined to comment on the purported race within the NCP. However, BJP's Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis took it lightly, saying "this is as per the traditions of the NCP".

"There's a tradition in the NCP, to project people as future CM, or even PM. But it's not necessary that it will always happen. But my best wishes are with them," Fadnavis said with a telling grin.

Nevertheless, flummoxed by the developments, Congress-Sena (UBT) leaders apprehend that this could be a pointer to an intra-party power tussle building up in the NCP with probable repercussions on the MVA in future, which would have to be averted, given the present delicate political situation in the state.

Top NCP circles have chosen to keep mum in the matter, though Sule wondered who could be putting up these posters with such forecasts and the motives behind them.