Maharashtra Congress Forms Inquiry Committee to Probe Loss in Chandrapur Municipal Polls

The Maharashtra Congress has decided to form an inquiry committee into the party’s fiasco at Chandrapur, where despite emerging as the single largest party in the municipal corporation polls, it failed to win the mayoral election resulting in the election of a BJP mayor. The political affairs committee of party’s state unit on Wednesday held a meeting in Mumbai to discuss the way forward. The issue of Congress losing mayoral election to the BJP in Chandrapur was discussed at the meeting. “It was decided that a committee will probe the possible reasons for the loss and whether the infighting between the local leadership caused party’s defeat. The report will be submitted to the All India Congress Committee,” said a senior party leader who attended the meeting. Maharashtra Congress in-charge Ramesh Chennithala, addressing a press conference after the meeting, played down the controversy. “While discussions were held with the MVA ally Sena UBT to support Congress for the Mayor’s post but they supported the BJP at the last minute. But the Congress party supported it in Parbhani to keep the BJP out of power. There are no internal disputes within the Congress in Chandrapur and discussions were held with everyone,” he said. The infighting between Congress Lok Sabha MP Pratibha dhanorkar and Congress legislative party leader Vijay Wadettiwar had led to two separate groups within the elected Congress corporators in Chandrapur. Despite state leadership’s intervention, the infighting continued so much that Wadettiwar took his group of corporators to Delhi along with party observers from the state. On the day of election for the mayoral post, despite Congress bridging its internal differences, the Sena UBT sided with the BJP, ensuring BJP mayor and secured deputy mayor post for themselves. Meanwhile the political affairs committee of the state Congress has resolved to observe next year as the organisation building year. The party announced that it will be undertaking a program to ensure completion of appointments till ground level and all party cells.