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Congress Battles Poaching Fears as Maharashtra Mayoral Elections Heat Up

The Congress is taking measures to prevent poaching of its corporators by the ruling Mahayuti alliance in key municipal corporations ahead of mayoral elections. In Chandrapur, internal conflict between leaders Vijay Wadettiwar and Pratibha Dhanorkar complicates the party's position, while BJP's Sudhir Mungantiwar claims some Congress members are ready to switch sides. In Parbhani, Shiv Sena (UBT) as the single-largest party has pledged an alliance with Congress, ruling out any move that benefits the BJP or Shinde faction. Meanwhile, in Bhiwandi, Congress, despite being the largest party, is three seats short of a majority and is seeking support from allies like the NCP-SP to secure the mayor's post.

Key Points: Maharashtra Civic Polls: Congress Strategy to Foil Poaching

  • Congress scrambles to keep corporators united
  • Shiv Sena (UBT) seeks mayoral post in alliances
  • BJP accused of poaching Congress members
  • Delicate math in Bhiwandi where Congress is 3 short
3 min read

Maha civic polls: Congress moves to prevent poaching as Mayoral race heats up

Congress works to prevent defections in Chandrapur, Parbhani & Bhiwandi mayoral races amid BJP poaching claims & alliance talks.

"One should ignore the rumours. Congress will have its mayor. - Harshwardhan Sapkal"

Mumbai, Jan 19

Amid hectic political activity ahead of the mayoral elections, the Congress has swung into action to keep its flock together in Chandrapur and Parbhani and thereby foil alleged poaching attempts by the Mahayuti. In the Bhiwandi Municipal Corporation, the Congress is treading carefully as it is falling short of a majority by three votes.

On Monday, Shiv Sena (UBT) Chandrapur president Sandip Girhe claimed that his party will ally with anyone who is ready to give the mayoral post to his party. "I am not naming any party. But we will go with the party which is ready to give us the mayoral post," Girhe said, hinting the party might even decide to ally with the BJP.

In Chandrapur's 66-member body, Congress has 27 elected members while the BJP won 23. Shiv Sena (UBT) has six and Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi has two. In Chandrapur, the infighting between Congress MLA and legislative group leader Vijay Wadettiwar and Chandrapur Lok Sabha MP Pratibha Dhanorkar is likely to harm the party's prospects. According to sources, the two leaders share differences over the choice of mayoral face and committee chiefs. The delay is already harming alliance talks.

Former minister and BJP MLA from Chandrapur district Sudhir Mungantiwar on Monday claimed that a group of Congress corporators was willing to join the BJP as they have realised that aligning with the BJP can bring development to Chandrapur. Mungantiwar's statement has increased the Congress party's worries.

However, Maharashtra Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal, when asked about Chandrapur, said, "One should ignore the rumours. Congress will have its mayor."

Similarly, in the Parbhani Municipal Corporation with 65 members, Shiv Sena (UBT) has emerged as the single-largest party with 25 seats while ally Congress has won 12 seats. On the day the results were declared, Parbhani Lok Sabha MP Sanjay Jadhav announced that Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress will have the mayor and deputy mayor in the Parbhani Municipal Corporation. The BJP too has won 12 seats while the Ajit Pawar-led NCP has won 11 seats.

The changed political equations are likely to affect the existing power equations in Parbhani as well. Shiv Sena (UBT), however, clarified that it is not planning any move that will benefit either the BJP or the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. "We want to be extremely clear in saying that we will not make any move that will benefit either the BJP or the Shinde-led party," said party spokesperson Harshal Pradhan.

In the Bhiwandi Municipal Corporation with 90 members, Congress has emerged as the single-largest party by winning 30 seats while Sharad Pawar-led NCP-SP won 12. The BJP came second with 22 seats and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena has won 12. The Samajwadi Party has won six seats, while others have won seven. Despite an alliance with the NCP-SP, Congress still falls short by three to get a majority.

Sensing the delicate political situation, Maharashtra Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal on Monday invited all the winning corporators from Bhiwandi for felicitations at the party headquarters.

NCP-SP MLA Jitendra Awhad said that his party will extend support to Congress. "We will achieve the numbers and we will have our mayor in Bhiwandi," he added.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

S
Sarah B
The political maneuvering in Bhiwandi is fascinating. Congress is the single largest party but still needs allies. It shows how crucial every single seat is in local body politics. Hope they can secure the support and provide stable governance for the people.
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Priya S
Shiv Sena (UBT) in Chandrapur saying they'll ally with anyone who gives them the mayor's post... such short-sighted politics! This is why development suffers. Parties should have a common minimum program for the city, not just chase power. Very disappointing.
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Vikram M
As a resident of Maharashtra, I just want the corporation to function. Water, roads, garbage collection - these are the real issues. All this drama about mayor posts and poaching just delays the work. Please, leaders, think about the citizens for once!
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Aman W
The statement from BJP's Mungantiwar about Congress corporators wanting to join for "development" sounds like typical political rhetoric. Every party claims they bring development. Let's see the actual work on the ground in the next five years. 👍
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Nisha Z
Good to see Congress taking proactive steps with the felicitation event in Bhiwandi. Keeping your winning team motivated is half the battle. Hope the NCP-SP support is solid and they can form a stable administration. Parbhani seems more straightforward for the alliance.

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