Chandrapur, Feb 10 (PTI) The faction-riven Congress suffered a major embarrassment after a surprise alliance between its ally, Shiv Sena (UBT), and the ruling BJP led to the election of a BJP mayor in Chandrapur Municipal Corporation, despite the grand old party being in a position to claim the post.
BJP’s Sangeeta Khandekar won the mayoral election by a single vote, defeating Congress candidate Vaishali Mahadule, with the Uddhav Thackeray-led party extending support to the saffron party. Sena (UBT) corporator Prashant Danav was elected deputy mayor.
The development raised serious questions over Opposition unity and the viability of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), as the Sena (UBT) is a key ally of the Congress within both the MVA and the INDIA bloc.
Chandrapur is one of the few municipal corporations where the Congress had emerged as the largest party and was poised to secure the mayor’s post. However, deep internal divisions between factions led by Vijay Wadettiwar and Pratibha Dhanorkar handed an opening to the BJP.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said he would discuss the development after seeking details.
Reacting sharply, Maharashtra Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal alleged horse-trading and blamed the Shiv Sena (UBT), AIMIM and the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) for the setback.
“In the Chandrapur mayoral election, the BJP secured 32 votes and Congress 31. With its six corporators, the Sena (UBT) was expected to support the Congress. Instead, it chose to go with the BJP. This will have consequences in the state,” Sapkal told reporters.
In the elections held for the 66-member civic body last month, the Congress emerged as the single largest party with 27 seats, followed closely by the BJP with 23.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) won six seats, the Bharatiya Shetkari Kamgar Paksh (Janvikas Sena) three, VBA two, while AIMIM, BSP and Shiv Sena secured one seat each. Two Independents were also elected.
Multiple candidates filed nominations for the mayor’s post. Shiv Sena (UBT) fielded Manasvi Girhe, while Congress candidates included Sangeeta Bhoyar, Sangeeta Amritkar, Sunanda Dhobe and Vaishali Mahadule. The BJP nominated Sangeeta Khandekar and Sarika Sandurkar.
Until Monday, there was no clarity on alliances following the fractured verdict in the January 15 polls. Ahead of the mayoral election, Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut had stated that the party would prefer to sit in opposition and would never support the BJP, citing directives from Uddhav Thackeray.
However, after the outcome, Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas Danve said the development appeared to have occurred without the approval of the party leadership.
Local leaders of the party offered differing explanations.
Chandrapur district Sena (UBT) president Sandeep Girhe said local leaders had met Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar, seeking the mayor’s post, but the Congress refused to hand the position for a five-year term. “Following this, the Sena (UBT) opened talks with the BJP “in the interest of development,” he said.
Girhe added that he remained in touch with Mumbai-based Sena (UBT) leader Varun Sardesai and that the leadership had instructed local units to ensure organisational unity.
Deputy Mayor Danav confirmed that discussions between the BJP and Sena (UBT) resulted in an agreement under which the BJP would get the mayor’s post and the Sena (UBT) the deputy mayor’s post.
Sapkal, meanwhile, claimed the BJP also benefited from AIMIM’s support, while the Prakash Ambedkar-led VBA remained absent during voting.
“If the VBA, with whom we had a genuine alliance during the civic body polls, had supported the Congress, our candidate would have won. There was horse-trading,” he alleged.
Dismissing claims of infighting, Sapkal said Congress corporators were united and that differences among party leaders in Chandrapur had been resolved.
“It is only because of the Shiv Sena (UBT), AIMIM and VBA that the BJP could install its mayor,” he said.
Taking a swipe at Sena (UBT), Shiv Sena minister Sanjay Shirsat said the corporators of the Uddhav Thackeray-led party had sent a clear message that they no longer wished to align with the Congress and NCP.
“Elected representatives do not want to remain out of power. They believe the natural alliance is between the Shiv Sena and BJP, and they decided accordingly,” Shirsat claimed.
Notably, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), which contested against the Shiv Sena–BJP alliance in municipal polls, had extended post-election support to Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena in Kalyan-Dombivli and Nashik after the civic elections. PTI COR MR PR AW ARU NSK
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