In a dramatic post-poll fallout, 22 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates from the Amravati Municipal Corporation (AMC) elections have urged Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis to oust former Member of Parliament (MP) Navneet Rana, accusing her of undermining the party by campaigning against its nominees. The January 15 polls saw BJP's seats plummet, fueling claims of betrayal amid a broken alliance.
Poll debacle: BJP's seats halve amid alliance split
The 87-member AMC saw BJP secure just 25 seats, down from 45 last time, while Ravi Rana's Yuva Swabhiman Party (YSP) grabbed 15 (up from 3). Others: Congress 15, AIMIM 12, NCP 11, Shiv Sena 3, BSP 3, Shiv Sena (UBT) 2, Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi 1.
Pre-poll, BJP and YSP (led by MLA Ravi Rana, Navneet's husband) severed ties, yet a local BJP figure insisted Navneet would back saffron hopefuls. Instead, she allegedly branded BJP contestants "dummies" and pitched YSP as the "real BJP."
Candidates' fury: Rana's campaign cost us victory
Of the 22 complainants, 20 lost and 2 won, but all point to Navneet's interference. Their letter to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis blasts, "We are devoted, hardworking party workers connected with society. Our defeat isn't due to Opposition, but senior BJP leader Navneet Rana openly campaigning against us."
They warn her retention risks obliterating BJP's Amravati footprint and demand immediate expulsion.
No response from Rana as tensions boil
Navneet Rana's reaction remains pending, leaving the controversy hanging. This rift exposes deepening fissures in Maharashtra BJP, especially in Vidarbha, post the alliance collapse.
Amravati civic polls
Voting for the 29 civic bodies in Maharashtra Municipal Corporation took place on January 15 and the results were declared on January 16. As for the Amravati Municipal Corporation, a total of 87 seats were up for grabs across 22 wards and as many as 661 candidates contested elections. NCP of Ajit Pawar group fielded the most candidates, 85, followed by the Indian National Congress, which fielded 74 candidates. 68 candidates of BJP contested elections, while 67 of Shiv Sena's Shinde faction did so.
Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi and Shiv Sena of the Uddhav faction fielded 47 and 41 candidates respectively in the election while Yuva Swabhiman Party and Bahujan Samaj Party also fielded 36 and 34 candidates respectively. AIMIM and NCP of Sharad Pawar group fielded the least candidates, 25 and 14 respectively while 120 candidates contested elections independently.