Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal criticized the BJP for alleged horse trading in the Chandrapur Municipal Corporation mayoral election. He expressed disappointment in the Shiv Sena for supporting the BJP over Congress in the poll. Sapkal highlighted the impact of such decisions on the political landscape in the state.
Sapkal raised concerns about the role of AIMIM, stating that their neutrality in the election favored the BJP. He questioned the absence of Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi councillors, which led to the BJP candidate winning by a narrow margin. The alliance dynamics between political parties in the region have drawn attention due to these developments.
The BJP’s successful installation of its Mayor in Chandrapur Municipal Corporation, with Sangeeta Khandekar elected, dealt a blow to the Congress party. Despite being the largest party in recent civic polls, Congress lost the mayoral seat by just one vote. The decision of Shiv Sena UBT to support BJP was reportedly influenced by internal issues within the Congress party.
In a closely contested election, BJP’s Sangeeta Khandekar secured 32 votes, narrowly defeating the Congress candidate who received 31 votes. The absence of two Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi corporators and the AIMIM corporator’s abstention lowered the majority threshold, enabling the BJP’s victory. Local analysts have described this outcome as a surprising political turn.
