11 February,2026 10:49 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut. File Pic
Maha Vikas Aghadi allies Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Congress on Wednesday traded sharp barbs over the political developments in Maharashtra's Chandrapur civic body, after the Thackeray-led party backed the BJP in the mayoral election held a day earlier, according to the news agency PTI.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut blamed the Congress for the "mess", saying it should be "ashamed" for failing to assume power in Chandrapur despite emerging as the single largest party. The Congress retaliated in similar language and demanded clarity from its ally.
The crisis erupted after a surprise understanding between the Sena (UBT) and the BJP resulted in the election of a BJP mayor in the Chandrapur Municipal Corporation, dealing a blow to the Congress, which had the numbers to stake claim to the post.
BJP's Sangeeta Khandekar won the mayoral election by a single vote, defeating Congress candidate Vaishali Mahadule, with the 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 (MVA).
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.
Raut on Wednesday sought to blame the Congress for the "mess". He said the Congress should be "ashamed" of not being able to assume power in Chandrapur despite emerging as the single largest party, adding that there was no point blaming his party for the political twist, reported PTI.
Talking to reporters in New Delhi, Raut said the decision by Sena (UBT) corporators to back the BJP in the mayoral polls was taken at the local level and not by the party leadership.
While the BJP shares power with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and the NCP in the Mahayuti government in the state, the Sena (UBT), Sharad Pawar's NCP (SP) and the Congress are constituents of the Opposition MVA.
Raut said Uddhav Thackeray had given clear instructions to party functionaries in Chandrapur not to help the BJP in any way, even if that meant sitting in the Opposition.
"Still, due to the Congress's mess, local Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders made the decision. This does not mean we have joined hands with the BJP," the Rajya Sabha member said, reported PTI.
He said the Congress should be ashamed that, despite having the highest number of corporators, it could not secure power in Chandrapur.
In the elections held for the 66-member civic body last month, the Congress emerged as the single largest party with 27 seats, followed by the BJP with 23.
The Sena (UBT) won six seats, the Bharatiya Shetkari Kamgar Paksh (Janvikas Sena) three, the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) two, while the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Shiv Sena secured one seat each. Two Independents were also elected.
"Who is responsible for this? This should be probed at the highest level. There is no point blaming the Shiv Sena (UBT)," Raut said, reported PTI.
He further said the VBA and the AIMIM did not back the Congress in the mayoral polls because there was no unanimity within the party.
Talking to PTI, state Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal said the Shiv Sena (UBT) should explain why it gave a free hand to its corporators to vote for the BJP.
"Our corporators stayed united and did not cross-vote. If you had an issue with our infighting, you could have abstained or remained absent during the voting for the mayor's post," he said.
Sapkal said the Congress was in touch with the Shiv Sena (UBT) leadership, which had assured that at no point would its corporators vote for the BJP.
Congress spokesperson Atul Londhe told PTI that the Shiv Sena (UBT) should be ashamed of itself, as it claims to oppose the BJP but supports it when it suits its political interests.
(With PTI inputs)
