A wave of resignations has severely jolted the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) organization in Nagpur, just days before the high-stakes municipal elections scheduled for January 15. The discontent, stemming from alleged neglect of local workers in ticket distribution, threatens to undermine the party's campaign in its traditional stronghold.
Local Workers Revolt Over Ticket Distribution
In a significant blow, more than 80 party workers, including 45 office-bearers, from Prabhag 16(d) in Nagpur have submitted their resignations. The exodus is reportedly driven by frustration over the party awarding tickets to outsiders instead of dedicated local cadre.
Gajanan Nishitkar, the former BJP president of the Prabhag, revealed the scale of the rebellion. He claimed that despite having the highest number of booths (24) in the area and being assured by senior leaders, the ticket was given to a woman candidate who is neither a local nor a resident of the Prabhag. Nishitkar faced a similar denial in the 2017 elections.
The drama took a personal turn at the home of former mayor Archana Dehankar. Her husband, Vinayak Dehankar, a BJP worker since 1984, resigned from the party to contest as an independent, protesting the nomination of four non-local candidates in Prabhag 17. His decision reportedly caused such tension that his wife, a state-level office-bearer, left for her parental home.
However, Dayashankar Tiwari, President of the BJP's Nagpur City unit, downplayed the crisis. He stated that the resignations were happening primarily on social media and that he had not received any formal resignations in writing, making it premature to comment.
Fractured Alliances Set Stage for Multi-Cornered Fights
The political landscape across Vidarbha's major municipal corporations is marked by broken alliances and parties going solo, indicating poor coordination within both the ruling Mahayuti and opposition Maha Aghadi camps.
In the Nagpur Municipal Corporation, the BJP-Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) alliance remains, but with a lopsided seat-sharing deal: BJP will contest 143 seats while the Sena gets only 8. The opposition is in disarray. The Congress and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) alliance collapsed at the last minute. Congress announced nearly 100 candidates, while NCP (SP) fielded 79, accusing Congress of breaking the pact to benefit the BJP. Shiv Sena (UBT) is also contesting independently.
The fragmentation repeats in other key cities:
- Chandrapur (66 seats): BJP (57) and Shiv Sena (9) are allied. Congress kept most seats, giving only 3 to ally Jan Vikas Sena.
- Akola: BJP and NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) are partners. Shiv Sena (Shinde) is independent. Congress and NCP (SP) are together, while Shiv Sena (UBT), AIMIM, and others contest solo.
- Amravati: All major parties announced candidates independently, signaling the complete breakdown of the Mahayuti alliance and an incomplete Maha Aghadi.
Intense Competition Looms for Vidarbha Civic Polls
With alliances in tatters and a significant number of disgruntled BJP workers, including former office-bearers, now contesting as independents, the upcoming civic polls across the Vidarbha region are poised for intense and unpredictable multi-cornered contests.
The mass resignations in Nagpur highlight a deeper organizational challenge for the BJP, where the selection of candidates has alienated its grassroots workforce. This internal strife, combined with the fractured opposition landscape, sets the stage for a highly competitive election where local issues and rebel candidates could play a decisive role in determining the control of crucial urban local bodies.
