The withdrawal deadline for civic elections in three key cities of Maharashtra's Vidarbha region has set the stage for crowded and complex battles. A total of 1,581 candidates are now officially in the fray for the municipal corporation elections in Chandrapur, Amravati, and Akola. The period for pulling out nominations ended on Friday, revealing intense multi-cornered contests and significant internal strife within major political parties.
Chandrapur: Internal Strife Marks the Contest
In Chandrapur, the electoral process entered a decisive phase after the two-day withdrawal window closed at 3 PM on Friday. Initially, 557 nomination papers were filed across five returning officer offices. After scrutiny, 534 were validated and 23 were rejected on procedural grounds. Following the withdrawal of 83 candidates, 451 candidates remain in the contest.
The deadline highlighted deep internal strains within both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Indian National Congress. Several senior leaders, denied official party tickets, have chosen to contest as rebels against their own party's nominees.
In the BJP, prominent rebels include senior leaders and former corporators Ajay Sarkar and Vishal Nimbalkar, along with over a dozen others. The Congress is facing a similar challenge, with senior figures like former corporators Nandu Nagarkar, Prashant Danav, Sunita Lodhiya, Veena Khanke, and Bapu Ansari staying in the race against official party candidates. The allocation of election symbols is scheduled for January 3 at 11 AM, after which the final candidate list will be published.
Amravati Sees Last-Minute Withdrawal Rush
Amravati witnessed a significant churn in the final hours before the deadline. While only 11 candidates withdrew on Thursday, a staggering 150 pulled out on Friday, taking the total withdrawals to 161. This leaves 661 candidates competing for the 87 seats in the Amravati Municipal Corporation (AMC). Polling is set for January 15.
The contest is spread across 7 zones, which cover 22 prabhags (electoral wards). Zone 7 has the highest number of candidates at 126, followed by Zone 4 (108), Zone 2 (100), Zone 1 (97), Zone 3 (94), Zone 5 (83), and Zone 6 (53).
Major parties have thrown their hats in the ring, with the NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) contesting all 87 seats. The Congress is fighting 75 seats and the BJP 65. The two Shiv Sena factions and the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) are also in the field.
Alliance complications emerged here as well. The Yuva Swabhiman Party (YSP) of MLA Ravi Rana is in alliance with the BJP, which granted it 8 seats. However, YSP ended up fielding 41 candidates. This prompted Maharashtra's Guardian Minister for Amravati, Chandrashekhar Bawankule, to fly down for a closed-door meeting with Rana at his farmhouse on Friday afternoon, which lasted over 1.5 hours.
Akola: Political Activity Peaks Before Deadline
In Akola, political activity intensified on the final day as 164 candidates withdrew their nominations. This leaves 469 candidates in the contest for the 80 corporator seats in the Akola Municipal Corporation. According to AMC spokesperson Bharat Sharma, the comprehensive list of candidates who withdrew, including party-wise and independent details, will be released on Saturday. Ward-wise and party-wise breakdowns will be announced officially later.
The conclusion of the withdrawal period has firmly locked in the electoral battles for these three vital civic bodies. The high number of candidates indicates fiercely competitive polls, while the presence of prominent rebels in Chandrapur underscores the internal challenges parties face in managing ticket distribution. All eyes are now on the symbol allocation and the final campaign push ahead of the voting dates.
