314 party-backed candidates in Chandrapur civic poll race as allies go their own way

Chandrapur: With nominations closed for the January 15 Chandrapur Municipal Corporation elections, 314 officially backed party candidates are now in the fray across 17 prabhags. While the BJP and Congress have retained their core alliances at the state level, shifting local equations have seen several partners drift apart, creating space for rebels and new entrants.At the local level, the BJP has tied up with the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) and the RPI(A), effectively sidelining the NCP (Ajit Pawar faction). The Congress, meanwhile, has distanced itself from Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP), and the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), prompting these parties to chart independent paths. The collapse of local-level talks has meant that both major fronts now face contests involving former partners, raising questions over vote splits and transferability.In terms of numbers, the Congress has fielded 66 candidates, followed by the BJP with 56. The NCP (Ajit Pawar) and NCP (SP) have put up 44 and 32 candidates, respectively. Other contenders include the MNS (28), AAP (22), VBA (25), Shiv Sena (UBT) (31), and Shiv Sena (Shinde) (9) and RPI(A) (1).Beyond the arithmetic, internal churn is evident within both major parties. The BJP has dropped several former corporators, including Vandana Tikhe, Chandrakala Soyam, Vishal Nimbalkar, and Ajay Sarkar, fuelling speculation about factional realignments. The Congress faces similar disquiet, with supporters of Vijay Wadettiwar, including Nandu Nagarkar and Sunita Lodhiya, denied tickets despite repeated calls for unity.In a surprise move, the Congress has opted to back Janvikas Sena candidate Pappu Deshmukh in Prabhag No. 8, choosing not to contest three seats there — a decision that has left its own cadre perplexed.With alliances fractured and rebels accommodated through back-channel arrangements, the municipal contest is shaping up as a series of multi-cornered battles, making voter preferences difficult to predict.