4 minutes of readingChandrapurFebruary 5, 2026 22:36 IST
Despite being one of the few municipal corporations in Maharashtra where the Congress is in a position to bet claim the position of mayor, Deep factional divisions between the Vijay Wadettiwar and Pratibha Dhanorkar groups continue to pose a challenge to the party ahead of the Chandrapur mayoral elections scheduled for February 10.
The BJP, Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) have filed nomination forms for the posts of mayor and deputy mayor, with all three parties claiming that their candidates will bag the top civic post. For the Congress, Chandrapur is a crucial test case as it is one of the only two corporations, along with Latur, where the party has sufficient numbers to lead the civic body.
However, Congress’s prospects have been repeatedly undermined by infighting between the Wadettiwar and Dhanorkar factions, which sought control of the mayor’s post after the municipal elections. Despite multiple interventions by Maharashtra Congress chief Harshvardhan Sapkal, the dispute continued, forcing the party high command to intervene.
Congress leader and Chandrapur MLA Vijay Wadettiwar on Tuesday said his faction had not filed any nomination form for the mayor’s post, and maintained that the decision taken by the party leadership in Delhi and the Pradesh Congress Committee had been accepted by all Congress groups.
Wadettiwar said that Pratibha Dhanorkar group corporators have filed nomination forms for the post of mayor, while senior corporator Vasantrao Deshmukh has filed his nomination for deputy mayor. “Since the high command made a clear decision, none of our side (Wadettiwar faction) has filled the mayoral nomination form,” he said.
“As per the decision of the high command, 27 Congress members will meet and meet. Therefore, there is no confusion or uncertainty regarding the post of mayor,” Wadettiwar said.
The standoff between the two factions had earlier escalated into a legal battle, when 18 Congress corporators aligned with Wadettiwar approached the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court against the divisional commissioner, alleging procedural errors in the group’s registration and voting documentation. Wadettiwar said the petition has since been withdrawn.
The conflict also saw Wadettiwar leading a delegation of corporators to Delhi to show strength, even as the party leadership finally confirmed the state unit’s decision to allocate the post of mayor to the Dhanorkar group and the post of group leader to the Wadettiwar faction, with a power-sharing formula proposed for later.
With rival parties also in the fray, Congress risks losing its advantage if it fails to consolidate its numbers. When asked about claims by the BJP and Shiv Sena (UBT) that their corporators could become mayors, Wadettiwar tried to downplay the urgency. “Now that the election date is set, there is no point in rushing decisions,” he said.
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Shiv Sena (UBT) candidates have filed nominations for the posts of mayor and deputy mayor, while the BJP has also filed nomination forms.
Wadettiwar said the Congress currently has the support of 32 corporators, including allies, in the 66-member Chandrapur Municipal Corporation and requires support from two more corporators. “Discussions are ongoing in this regard,” he said.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Pratibha Dhanorkar said her group has claimed the post of mayor, with Rajesh Arur filing the nomination form, while Vasantrao Deshmukh has been nominated as deputy mayor. “The nomination forms were submitted accordingly,” he said, adding that a meeting with AICC general secretary KC Venugopal had finalized a power-sharing agreement between the two factions.
The BJP, which has 23 corporators along with one from the Shinde faction, taking its tally to 24, has also indicated that it is exploring the possibility of reclaiming the mayor’s post.
