Chandrapur, Jan 16 (IANS) In a significant political shift, the Congress on Friday secured a historic victory in the Chandrapur City Municipal Corporation (CCMC) elections, winning 28 of the 66 seats. Congress Legislative Party Leader Vijay Wadettiwar hailed the result as a mandate against the “corrupt and anti-people” governance of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The victory sparked massive celebrations across Chandrapur, with Congress workers and citizens hitting the streets to celebrate with firecrackers and saffron-coloured powder (gulal).

The division within the BJP, especially due to the rift between BJP legislators Sudhir Mungantiwar and Kishor Jorgewar, came in handy for the Congress to gain political mileage.

Despite the party leadership’s intervention, Mungantiwar and Jorgewar failed to bury their hatchets, as the widening rift between the two adversely impacted the morale of the party cadres.

Mungantiwar made a strong pitch for an overhaul in the polling system, which gave ammunition to the Congress to further step up its attack on the State Election Commission over the handling of the elections.

However, the Congress put up a show of unity and cashed in on its victory in the recently held Chandrapur nagar parishad and nagar panchayat elections.

Speaking on the election results, Wadettiwar said that the public rejected the BJP due to its “arrogance of power, false promises, and corrupt policies”.

He emphasised that the citizens of Chandrapur have placed their trust in the Congress for development, transparency and public welfare.

“The people were deeply dissatisfied with the BJP over issues like inflation, unemployment, water scarcity, the collapse of waste management, and multi-crore scams. This result is a clear reflection of that public anger,” he remarked.

According to the latest figures, the Congress is in a strong position to form the local government.

While the party officially won 28 seats, Wadettiwar clarified the path to a majority. He said: Congress has won 28 seats; Jan Vikas Sena three seats (allied with Congress); Independents two seats (rebels who are returning to the Congress fold); and Shiv Sena (UBT) six seats. With the support of over 40 corporators, Wadettiwar announced that the next Mayor of Chandrapur will be from the Congress.

During a victory rally accompanied by the thunderous beats of dhol-tasha, Wadettiwar congratulated the newly elected corporators.

He reminded them that this victory is not just about gaining power, but about fulfilling a responsibility. He assured the residents of Chandrapur that the new administration would provide a transparent, clean and people-oriented government, prioritising the resolution of every citizen’s grievances.

–IANS

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