Whereas the BJP had a robust efficiency in 29 municipal companies in Maharashtra, the Vidarbha area proved combined for the get together. Whereas holding on to its stronghold in Nagpur, the hometown of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, and working by way of Akola and Amravati, Chandrapur’s civic physique was thrust into the highlight after the Bharatiya Janata Social gathering, with some surprising help, turned the tables on the Congress and put in a mayor within the metropolis.
The Congress emerged as the one largest get together in Chandrapur Municipal Company, profitable 27 out of 66 seats in opposition to the Bharatiya Janata Social gathering’s 23 seats. The Congress-allied Shiv Sena (UBT) gained six seats and the Congress-backed Bharatiya Shetkari Kamgar Paksha gained three seats. One other Congress alliance, Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), secured two seats, whereas AIMIM, BSP and Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena gained one seat every, in addition to two independents.
On paper, the arithmetic appeared to favor the Congress, which was anticipated to take management of the civic physique with help from the Sena (UBT), VBA and smaller allies. However what adopted was a two-week interval of intense competitors marked by factional infighting, strategic maneuvering and last-minute slip-ups, culminating in Tuesday’s victory for the BJP within the mayoral election.
Early setbacks for the BJP
The Bharatiya Janata Social gathering’s first setback in Chandrapur comes amidst seen rigidity between senior chief Sudhir Mungantiwar and MLA Kishore Jorgewar, who joined the get together in 2024, through the native physique ballot marketing campaign. The rift surfaced through the inauguration ceremony of the Rs 280-crore Pandit Deendayal Chandrapur Most cancers Hospital.
Mungantiwar publicly expressed his anguish, alleging that the get together MLA had tried to delay the occasion, though he didn’t point out Holhewar’s identify. The incident seems to have lowered the morale of the BJP management and gave the Congress a possibility to focus on the divisions throughout the ruling get together.
parliamentary points
However because the outcomes of citizen polls regularly turned clearer, Congress started to grapple with inner rifts.
The Congress troubles started with a conflict between Chandrapur MP Pratibha Dhanokal and get together MLA Vijay Wadetiwar over management of district items and civic our bodies. Mr. Dhanorkar accused Mr. Wadetiwar of indulging in sectarian politics and asserting his constituency rights.
Mr Wadetiwar reacted sharply to this, saying, “Simply since you turn out to be a member of Parliament doesn’t imply you personal a constituency,” emphasizing his lengthy affiliation with Mr Chandrapur. He denied hypothesis of defection and insisted all teams would unite to make sure the council mayor’s appointment.
This battle displays deeper political currents. Mr Wadetiwar, a five-term MLA who moved from Mr Timur to Mr Brahmapuri in 2014, has lengthy been the area’s most outstanding Congress face and a outstanding Tehri chief.
Dhanolkar, who gained the 2024 Sabah state election after the dying of her husband, former lawmaker Bal Dhanolkar, enjoys important help among the many Kunbi faction. Her elevation modified the steadiness of energy throughout the district.
The battle had come to the fore earlier through the Lok Sabha ticket allotment, the place Wadetiwar lobbied for his daughter Shivani, however the get together excessive command selected Dhanolkar.
After the corporate’s efficiency declined, the battle turned systemic. Each leaders sought to put supporters in key positions in cities and districts. At one stage, Dhanorkar admitted that company workers have been moved to motels to “guarantee their security”. Supporters on either side ignored get together hierarchy and labored independently.
Mr Wadetiwar led a company delegation to fulfill the Congress central management in Delhi in a present of energy. Eighteen businessmen aligned together with his camp briefly approached the Nagpur bench of the Bombay Excessive Courtroom over the group registration dispute, however withdrew the petition inside 24 hours, saying the matter had been resolved.
In the end, the Congress excessive command and the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) proposed a power-sharing scheme wherein the Dhanolkar camp was given the publish of mayor and the Wadetiwar faction was given the publish of group chief. Wadetiwar publicly insisted that each one 27 council members have been planning to vote collectively and that there could be “no confusion” over the mayor’s publish.
Senna (UBT) crossover
Though Congress sought unity, it struggled to handle its allies. The Sena (UBT) had initially claimed the mayor’s publish. Sandip Girhe, the get together’s district president, mentioned talks have been held with Congress leaders, together with Wadettiwar, however claimed that the Congress, particularly Dhanorkar, was reluctant to supply him the publish even as soon as throughout his tenure.
Senior Sena (UBT) chief Sushma Andhare later mentioned the choice to align with the Bharatiya Janata Social gathering was taken by the native management, according to the get together’s coverage of empowering districts by way of citizen polls. He mentioned get together president Uddhav Thackeray was stored knowledgeable and there was no disagreement between native and central management on the difficulty.
VBA, AIMIM tilt scale
AIMIM remained impartial within the mayoral election and shunned voting, however VBA Company additionally abstained from voting. Though AIMIM didn’t discipline a mayoral candidate, it contested the publish of deputy mayor and supported candidate Pappu Deshmukh and voted in his favour.
In the meantime, VBA companies have been instructed to help parliament, however failed to point out up on voting day, elevating the opportunity of disciplinary motion in opposition to native leaders, sources mentioned.
Whereas it was identified that these abstentions contributed to the victory of the Bharatiya Janata Social gathering, the VBA dissolved town govt committee and suspended town president for taking a place opposite to get together coverage.
BJP snatches victory
Resulting from modifications within the ballot panorama, Bharatiya Janata Social gathering’s mayoral candidate Sangita Khandekar gained by a single vote. Khandekar bought 32 votes whereas Congress’s Vaishali Mahadoor bought solely 31 votes.
State Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal blamed AIMIM’s “neutrality” and VBA’s abstention for the defeat, however maintained that each one the Congress companies voted as a unified bloc. He additionally accused the Bharatiya Janata Social gathering of “horse buying and selling”.
Sapkal warned that the influence may unfold throughout Maharashtra, particularly for the reason that Congress and Sena (UBT) are companions within the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). He advised related political challenges may lie forward for corporations the place Sena (UBT) holds stronger numbers.
Reacting, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Sanjay Raut blamed the Congress for the “chaos” and reportedly mentioned the grand outdated get together ought to be “ashamed” for failing to safe energy in Chandrapur regardless of rising as the one largest get together.
Alternative loss for Congress
By the point of the mayoral election, the Bharatiya Janata Social gathering appeared to have put apart its inner variations, with Jorgewal publicly stating that whereas the Congress leaders have been “busy managing their very own companies”, the get together was united and exploring all choices for the mayor’s workplace.
To the Congress, Chandrapur confirmed indicators of resurgence. The get together improved from 12 seats in 2017 to 27 this time, largely because of Wadetiwar’s organizational infrastructure and Dhanorkar’s Lok Sabha victory, till inner rifts emerged and the BJP gained the higher hand.
