1-vote Maharashtra thriller: Rivals help BJP grab Chandrapur mayor seat; gets surprise support from Sena UBT

CHANDRAPUR: BJP clinched the Chandrapur mayor's post by one vote on Tuesday, edging past the Congress-led alliance in a political thriller with the score of 32 and 31, respectively, finding support from the unlikeliest of "friends," Sena UBT.

The sudden decision of Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM to abstain also helped BJP.


When results of the 66-member civic body were declared nearly a month ago, Congress emerged as the single largest party with 27 corporators, followed by BJP with 23. That's when the intense numbers' game began. Pre-poll allies Shiv Sena (UBT) and Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) together held the balance of power, without whose support the magic figure of 34 was unattainable.

However, a bitter feud between Congress Lok Sabha member Pratibha Dhanorkar and senior MLA Vijay Wadettiwar over control of the civic body derailed negotiations with Sena UBT. Wadettiwar met Uddhav Thackeray in Mumbai and offered the mayor's post, but the deal collapsed as the Congress high command failed to persuade Dhanorkar to resolve the internal rivalry. The conflict soon spilled onto the streets, with Wadettiwar alleging that "someone" tried to kidnap his corporators from a bus on the highway.




Amidst this, BJP veteran MLA Sudhir Mungantiwar moved swiftly, reaching out to Sena UBT, despite the two parties being bitter rivals at the state level. Mungantiwar sweetened the deal by offering UBT a 15-month stint as mayor on a rotational basis, while also backing an Independent for the deputy mayor's post to bolster numbers.

For the past two days, Chandrapur’s political grapevine was abuzz with speculation that BJP had sealed a pact with Sena (UBT) and its ally VBA, who together accounted for eight corporators. By Tuesday morning, as corporators assembled to vote, the arithmetic appeared to favour BJP with 34 votes — its own 23, one from ally Shinde Sena, six from Sena UBT, two from VBA, and two independents. The Congress-led bloc, meanwhile, was left with just 32, seemingly headed for defeat.

Then the script took a turn. VBA’s two corporators failed to turn up for voting, reducing BJP-led alliance to 32, equal to the Congress’ number. Just as Congress sensed a comeback, AIMIM’s lone corporator Azhar Shaikh said he would abstain. Later, Shaikh said, “Congress never approached us, never showed us respect and treated us as untouchables. That’s why I abstained.”

That single decision handed BJP the mayor’s post by one vote. Mungantiwar later said the alliance with Sena (UBT) was forged “in the interest of Chandrapur’s development and to break the political deadlock.”

The drama, however, wasn’t over. During the deputy mayor’s election, Shaikh reversed course and voted for the Congress-backed candidate, resulting in a 32-32 tie. Even then, luck favoured BJP as the tie-breaker draw went its way.

Accoriding to the pact, BJP and Sena (UBT) will share the mayor’s post for 15 months each, after which the roster will change and fresh elections will be held. In the end, Congress walked away with a painful distinction — of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

By Tuesday morning, as corporators assembled to vote, the arithmetic appeared to favour BJP with 34 votes - its own 23, one from ally Shinde Sena, six from Sena UBT, two from VBA, and two independents.