‘Horse-trading’, Sena (UBT) 'betrayal': How Cong lost Chandrapur mayoral post to BJP

NEW DELHI: The Congress connected Tuesday warned of imaginable harm to its confederation with Maharashtra state Shiv Sena (UBT), aft the Uddhav Thackeray-led party, on with others, teamed up with the BJP, resulting successful the predetermination of the saffron party’s campaigner arsenic politician of Chandrapur Municipal Corporation.The improvement was a large setback for the Congress, which was poised to triumph the mayor’s station but mislaid by conscionable 1 vote.BJP corporator Sangeeta Khandekar was elected mayor, portion Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Prashant Danav became lawman mayor.Maharashtra Congress main Harshwardhan Sapkal alleged “horse-trading” and blamed Shiv Sena (UBT), Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM, and Prakash Ambedkar’s Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA).“In the Chandrapur mayoral election, the BJP secured 32 votes and Congress 31. The Sena (UBT) is an state successful the Maha Vikas Aghadi and the INDIA bloc. With its six corporators, the Sena (UBT) was expected to enactment the Congress. But the enactment chose to spell with the BJP. This improvement volition person consequences successful the state,” Sapkal told reporters successful Mumbai.“The BJP besides gained the precocious manus with the enactment of the AIMIM. If the VBA, with whom we had formed a genuine confederation successful the civic assemblage polls, had backed the Congress, our campaigner would person won.

There was horse-trading,” Sapkal added.Addressing the factional feud wrong the Chandrapur Congress, helium said Congress corporators were “united,” and that helium had personally resolved differences among enactment leaders successful the city.“It is lone due to the fact that of the Shiv Sena (UBT), AIMIM, and VBA that the BJP could instal its mayor,” the Maharashtra Congress main asserted.Till Monday, alliances successful the 66-member Chandrapur Municipal Corporation remained unclear pursuing a fractured verdict successful the January 15 polls.The Congress emerged arsenic the largest enactment with 27 seats, portion the BJP came a adjacent 2nd with 23, triggering a contention betwixt the 2 rivals to signifier a conjugation and unafraid the politician and lawman politician posts.The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), a erstwhile BJP ally, won six seats, portion 3 went to the Bharatiya Shetkari Kamgar Paksh (Janvikas Sena), 2 to the VBA, and 1 each to AIMIM, BSP, and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena, a BJP ally. Two independents besides secured wins. The canvass results were declared connected January 16.(With PTI inputs)