After weeks of intense internal conflict, the Congress party's central leadership has stepped in to resolve the deadlock over the selection of the mayor for the Chandrapur Municipal Corporation in Maharashtra. This intervention comes following persistent infighting between two prominent factions within the party, which had threatened to undermine the party's stability in the region.
Central Directive Brings Consensus
According to directives issued by the Congress central leadership, the party's Chandrapur Lok Sabha MP will have the final authority in deciding the mayor. This move aims to bring an end to the prolonged dispute that has consumed the party's local unit for the past fortnight.
Power-Sharing Formula Finalized
Sources within the Congress have confirmed that a comprehensive power-sharing arrangement has been reached. The mayor's position will be allocated to the Dhanorkar group, while the deputy mayor's post will go to corporators aligned with Congress legislative party leader Vijay Wadettiwar's faction.
Additionally, the Wadettiwar group has been assigned the crucial role of house leader in the municipal corporation. Furthermore, it has been decided that the chairperson position of the Standing Committee will be offered to whichever party extends support to help the Congress achieve the majority mark in the corporation.
Background of the Conflict
The infighting erupted between the groups led by Pratibha Dhanorkar and Vijay Wadettiwar over control of the mayoral position. The conflict escalated to such an extent that corporators from the Dhanorkar group formally registered themselves as an independent group, signaling deep divisions within the party ranks.
Maharashtra Congress chief Harshvardhan Sapkal made concerted efforts to mediate, holding four separate meetings with both leaders in an attempt to broker a consensus. However, these efforts proved insufficient to resolve the standoff, ultimately necessitating intervention from the party's national leadership.
Delhi Meetings and External Support
On Tuesday, Wadettiwar took his group of corporators to Delhi for discussions with K C Venugopal, the party's general secretary for organization. They were accompanied by state Congress observer and former MLA Sunil Kedar, who subsequently held meetings with Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant.
Following these discussions, Sawant publicly announced his party's decision to support the Congress in Chandrapur, stating unequivocally: "There is no question of supporting anyone else. The Congress and us will be together in Chandrapur and Parbhani."
Political Mathematics in Chandrapur
The Congress currently requires four additional corporators to secure a majority in the Chandrapur Municipal Corporation. Presently, Thackeray's Shiv Sena holds six seats while the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi controls two. The responsibility for mobilizing the remaining four corporators now rests with Pratibha Dhanorkar, whose group has been granted the mayor's position as part of the settlement.
This resolution marks a significant development in Maharashtra's political landscape, demonstrating the Congress central leadership's willingness to intervene decisively in local disputes to maintain party cohesion and electoral viability.
