Congress Loses Chandrapur Mayor Race to BJP by One Vote Amid Ally Betrayals
In a dramatic political twist, the Congress party lost the Chandrapur Mayor election to the BJP by a single vote, despite emerging as the single largest party in the Chandrapur Municipal Corporation. The defeat was fueled by factional feuds within the Congress and unexpected betrayals from its allies, including the Shiv Sena (UBT) backing the BJP and the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) abstaining from voting.
Election Results and Political Arithmetic
The Chandrapur Municipal Corporation poll results showed Congress winning 27 out of 66 seats, making it the largest party, while the BJP secured 23 seats. Allies included Shiv Sena (UBT) with six seats, Bharatiya Shetkari Kamgar Paksha with three, VBA with two, and AIMIM, BSP, and Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) with one each, plus two Independents. On paper, Congress seemed poised to control the civic body with support from its allies, but internal conflicts and strategic miscalculations derailed its plans.
Internal Rifts Within Congress
The Congress faced significant internal divisions, primarily between MP Pratibha Dhanorkar and MLA Vijay Wadettiwar. Their rivalry, rooted in control over the district unit and civic body, escalated after the Lok Sabha elections. Dhanorkar, representing Kunbi voters, and Wadettiwar, a prominent Teli leader, clashed over key positions, leading to factional infighting. Despite a power-sharing proposal from the party high command—mayor for Dhanorkar's camp and group leader for Wadettiwar's faction—unity remained fragile, with corporators being moved to hotels for safety and legal disputes briefly surfacing.
Ally Betrayals and Strategic Shifts
Congress's troubles were compounded by ally betrayals. Shiv Sena (UBT), initially claiming the mayor's post, switched sides to support the BJP, citing Congress's unwillingness to share power. Sena (UBT) leader Sushma Andhare stated the decision was made locally, with party chief Uddhav Thackeray informed. Meanwhile, VBA corporators abstained from voting, despite directives to back Congress, leading to disciplinary actions against local leaders. AIMIM remained neutral in the mayor election but contested the deputy mayor's post, further complicating the political landscape.
BJP's Victory and Political Fallout
Amid the chaos, BJP's mayoral candidate Sangita Khandekar won with 32 votes against Congress's Vaishali Mahadole's 31. State Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal blamed AIMIM's neutrality and VBA abstention for the loss, accusing the BJP of horse-trading. He warned that this could impact the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance across Maharashtra. In response, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut criticized Congress for failing to secure power despite being the largest party.
Broader Implications for Maharashtra Politics
This election highlights broader political dynamics in Maharashtra, where the BJP retained bastions like Nagpur but faced mixed results in Vidarbha. For Congress, Chandrapur represented a revival from 12 seats in 2017 to 27, attributed to Wadettiwar's groundwork and Dhanorkar's Lok Sabha win. However, internal rifts and ally mismanagement handed victory to the BJP, underscoring the challenges of coalition politics and factional control in regional governance.
