Wadettiwar meets Uddhav at Matoshree, discusses 50:50 power-sharing formula for Chandrapur civic body

Chandrapur/Nagpur: To break the political deadlock over Chandrapur Municipal Corporation (CMC) mayor's post, Congress MLA Vijay Wadettiwar met Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray in Mumbai on Tuesday and proposed a 50:50 tenure for each party's mayoral candidate. Wadettiwar's dash to the Thackeray residence ‘Matoshree' came amidst BJP's purported moves to poach the rival camp.While Chandrapur's BJP top netas, Sudhir Mungantiwar and Kishor Jorgewar claimed many Congress corporators were in touch with them, Wadettiwar termed his ‘Matoshree' visit as constructive, saying a final decision is expected soon, following further consultations.The last-minute numbers game came into play because the civic body polls threw up a fractured mandate. Congress emerged as the single largest party with 27 corporators, short of the majority mark of 34. The UBT-VBA alliance has 8 seats, including 3 bagged by Congress' pre-poll ally Bhartiya Shetkari Kisan Paksha.BJP bagged 24 seats, while AIMIM and BSP have 1 corporator each, apart from two Independents who complete the house of 66 members.While Congress has the numerical advantage, internal factionalism complicated its path to securing the mayor's post, triggering intense political manoeuvring. BJP, sensing an opening, projected confidence on staking claim to the mayor post. Local BJP MLA Kishor Jorgewar is already working the phones to see how the saffron party can edge past Congress and take control of the civic body.To pre-empt a possible loss of initiative, Wadettiwar initiated talks with Sena (UBT), extending the power-sharing proposal. Chandrapur Shiv Sena (UBT) district chief Sandeep Girhe confirmed such an offer was made. However, he cautioned the alliance's final structure, including the rotational formula and other key positions such as standing committee chairmanship.Wadettiwar told TOI the UBT sought a 2-and-half-year term each for the mayor's post and the standing committee chairmanship. Further negotiations will be carried forward by senior Sena MPs Anil Desai and Vinayak Raut. Wadettiwar said he briefed Maharashtra Congress president Harshvardhan Sapkal on the outcome of the talks, and that Sapkal will also hold discussions with Sena-UBT leaders to finalise the alliance framework.BJP's Mungantiwar, however, claimed a group of Congress corporators had reached out to BJP seeking dialogue, but refused to share details, citing privacy concerns.Reiterating his stand, Wadettiwar said his priority remains securing the mayor's post for Congress in Chandrapur. He pointed out that in cities like Akola and Parbhani, the Shiv Sena (UBT) will require Congress support, while in Chandrapur, Congress expects the Sena-UBT's backing in return. Confident of an early resolution, Wadettiwar dismissed BJP claims of poaching, stating that BJP lacks the numbers and is merely indulging in political rhetoric.