Chandrapur: A simmering power struggle within the Congress in Chandrapur erupted into the open on Monday, with 16 party corporators reportedly backing a no-confidence move against party group leader in the municipal corporation, Rajesh Adur. The move once again exposed deep factional divisions, which could potentially reshape the party's influence in the Chandrapur Municipal Corporation (CMC).
The development is the latest chapter in the rivalry between party camps aligned with MLA Vijay Wadettiwar and MP Pratibha Dhanorkar. Political observers view the latest show of strength as a significant setback for the Wadettiwar faction and an indication of growing support for the Dhanorkar camp within the civic body.
The crisis unfolded after Adur convened a meeting of Congress corporators at the District Congress office on Sunday (June 14). As per reports, 11 corporators attended the meeting. Discussions focused on municipal issues and the absence of several party members. Adur's camp reportedly proposed disciplinary action against corporators who skipped the meeting despite receiving official notices and declared a parallel gathering organised by the rival faction as unauthorised. The opposing group argued that decisions within the Congress corporators' group must reflect the will of the majority. They maintained that a group leader is accountable to elected members and cannot function independently.
On Monday, 16 Congress corporators attended a meeting in the presence of District Congress president Subhash Dhote and City Congress president Shiva Rao. They reportedly endorsed a no-confidence resolution against Adur and expressed support for his removal as group leader. Rao refused to comment but urged all corporators to stay united and work for the party and people's betterment.
The dispute has its roots in the period following the municipal elections, when competition intensified between the two factions for top positions. Differences reportedly widened after members of the Dhanorkar camp were denied representation on the Standing Committee.
