Mumbai, February 19 The Maharashtra Congress has decided to set up a committee to investigate the mayoral defeat in Chandrapur, where the party failed to secure the post despite having a numerical advantage.
AICC general secretary in charge of Maharashtra, Ramesh Chennithala, will form the committee soon, the party leader said on Wednesday.
Even the state Congress Legislature Party leader Vijay Wadettiwar has agreed to investigate the matter, he said.
During a meeting of senior Congress leaders here on Wednesday, those present raised concerns over the Shiv Sena (UBT) supporting the BJP in the Chandrapur mayoral election.
They also expressed reservations about the Sena (UBT) expecting the Congress's support to get former CM Uddhav Thackeray re-elected as an MLC after his term ends this year.
The faction-ridden Congress suffered a major embarrassment after a surprise alliance between its ally, Shiv Sena (UBT), and the ruling BJP led to the election of a BJP mayor in Chandrapur Municipal Corporation on February 10, despite the grand old party being in a position to claim the post.
BJP's Sangeeta Khandekar won the mayoral election by a single vote, defeating Congress candidate Vaishali Mahadule, with the Uddhav Thackeray-led party extending support to the saffron party. Sena (UBT) corporator Prashant Danav was elected deputy mayor.
The development raised serious questions over Opposition unity and the viability of the Maha Vikas Aghadi, as the Sena (UBT) is a key ally of the Congress within both the MVA and the INDIA bloc.
Chandrapur is one of the few municipal corporations where the Congress had emerged as the largest party and was poised to secure the mayor's post. However, deep internal divisions between factions led by Vijay Wadettiwar and Pratibha Dhanorkar handed an opening to the BJP.
Notably, the Rajya Sabha term of NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar, whose party is a constituent of the MVA, ends in April and biennial elections for the Upper House of Parliament were announced on Wednesday.
The combined Opposition can get only one Rajya Sabha and one legislative council seat from the MLA quota because the ruling Mahayuti alliance enjoys a huge majority of more than 235 legislators in the 288-member state assembly.
