A significant internal upheaval has rocked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Chandrapur, following the abrupt removal of its city president, Subhash Kasangottuwar. The dismissal came after serious allegations that he tampered with the officially sanctioned candidate list for the upcoming Chandrapur Municipal Corporation elections.
The Root of the Controversy: An Altered List
According to sources within the party, the turmoil began after Maharashtra BJP president Ravindra Chavan finalized and issued the official list of candidates. It is alleged that Subhash Kasangottuwar, acting under the directives of local MLA Kishor Jorgewar, independently made changes to this list. He reportedly interchanged several candidates and released revised lists, a move that directly contravened the authority of the state leadership.
The approved list was sent to Kasangottuwar by State President Chavan on December 29. Instead of disseminating it as received, Kasangottuwar is accused of amending it, removing several names and issuing official 'AB forms' (nomination forms) to individuals who were not on Chavan's list. Both Jorgewar and Kasangottuwar subsequently circulated these revised lists with entirely different names.
Internal Factionalism and Heated Clashes
This incident is not an isolated one but appears to be the culmination of rising tensions within the Chandrapur BJP unit. Party insiders report that friction between former minister and MLA Sudhir Mungantiwar and MLA Kishor Jorgewar has been escalating since the party's defeat in the recent municipal council elections.
Ahead of finalizing the corporation poll candidates, a series of joint meetings were held in Nagpur. These meetings included state revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, Vidarbha regional organisational secretary Upendra Kothekar, along with Mungantiwar, Jorgewar, and former Union minister Hansraj Ahir. Reports indicate that heated verbal exchanges occurred between Mungantiwar and Jorgewar in two consecutive meetings. Following these clashes, both leaders separately submitted their preferred candidate lists to the state office for review and finalization.
Fallout and Further Allegations
Once the state leadership discovered the unauthorized changes, Ravindra Chavan immediately ordered Kasangottuwar's removal from the post of Chandrapur city BJP president on Wednesday. The list of candidates allegedly removed from the official roster includes:
- Sunil Dongre
- Pooja Potaraj
- Ajay Sarkar
- Maya Uike
- Satyam Ghanar
- Vandana Bhagwat
- Ganesh Ramgundawar
Their slots were purportedly allotted to other individuals.
In a further twist, Subhash Kasangottuwar himself is a BJP candidate from Prabhag 1 in Tukum for the general category. Following his dismissal, party functionaries have demanded that his candidature also be cancelled. Kasangottuwar had been appointed city president barely a year ago.
Adding fuel to the fire, BJP workers held a press conference alleging financial irregularities in the ticket distribution process. Long-time workers and former corporators claim they were sidelined in favor of newcomers, accusing MLA Kishor Jorgewar and the now-removed city president Subhash Kasangottuwar of manipulating the process for monetary gain.
"This is the first time such malpractice has occurred in BJP," alleged former BJYM secretary Sunil Dongre, stating that 10 approved names were removed. The scandal has exposed deep-seated rifts within the party's local unit, casting a shadow over its campaign for the Chandrapur Municipal Corporation polls.
