Maharashtra power play: Wary of neta poaching, Congress ‘locks down’ corporators-elect in Chandrapur

CHANDRAPUR: With the Chandrapur Municipal Corporation (CMC) election throwing a hung verdict, political parties have moved swiftly to shield their corporators from poaching even as backroom negotiations intensify to cobble together a working majority. The Congress has quietly relocated its elected members to undisclosed locations, while the BJP has sought to project unity and confidence by bringing its top, and often rival, leaders onto a single platform — signalling that the battle for the mayor's post has entered a decisive phase.At a joint meeting of newly elected BJP corporators held on Sunday at a city hotel, the party's Vidarbha organisational minister Upendra Kotekar presided over a show of strength that saw senior leaders — former Union minister of state Hansraj Ahir, senior MLA Sudhir Mungantiwar and MLA Kishor Jorgewar — share the stage. The optics were deliberate. Before the full contingent of BJP corporators, leaders struck a note of unity and asserted that the party would stake a credible claim to the mayor's office despite falling short of a majority on its own.The BJP-led Mahayuti has secured 24 seats in the 66-member House — 23 by the BJP and one by its ally Shiv Sena (Shinde) — well below the 34 required to govern the civic body. The Congress, which emerged as the single largest party with 27 seats and the support of Bharatiya Shetkari Kamgar Paksh's three corporators, is closer to the threshold but still four short of a majority.Sources said Congress leaders, wary of defections at a critical juncture, have moved the newly elected corporators aligned with both MP Pratibha Dhanorkar and leader of Opposition Vijay Wadettiwar out of Chandrapur to prevent horse-trading. Party leaders are believed to be working multiple channels to secure support from smaller parties and independents.The Shiv Sena (UBT), with six corporators, has emerged as a potential kingmaker, though both the Congress and the BJP are exploring alternative arithmetic that would allow them to reach the majority mark without relying solely on the Sena. In a tight scenario, the positions of the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi, AIMIM, BSP and independents could prove decisive.With the draw for reservation of mayoral posts across Maharashtra's 29 municipal corporations scheduled in Mumbai on January 22, parties are expected to keep their corporators under close watch. Once the reservation is announced, whips are likely to be issued, formally binding members to party lines as Chandrapur braces for a high-stakes showdown at the civic helm.