Barely weeks before the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) elections scheduled for January 15, the Bharatiya Janata Party is grappling with visible internal unrest in the city. More than 80 party workers from Prabhag 16(D) have resigned, raising questions about dissatisfaction over ticket distribution and local leadership decisions. Party insiders suggest the exodus may not be limited to a single ward, with more resignations likely from other parts of Nagpur in the coming days.
Former Prabhag president Gajanan Nishitkar confirmed the resignations, stating that at least 45 of those who quit were office-bearers. Speaking to The Indian Express, Nishitkar said he had expected to be considered for candidature, especially as the seat was open and he claimed strong organisational backing in the area. “I have the highest number of booths in the Prabhag, 24 in all. I was repeatedly told to keep my documents ready, and even senior leaders made efforts on my behalf. Despite this, the ticket went to a woman candidate who is neither local nor a resident of this Prabhag,” he said, adding that a similar situation had played out during the 2017 elections.
However, the BJP’s Nagpur city unit has played down the developments. City president Dayashankar Tiwari said the resignations appeared to be limited to social media posts. “I have not received any resignations in writing. It would be premature to comment until the matter is formally placed before the party,” he said.
The tension within the BJP spilled into the public domain on Wednesday with dramatic scenes at the residence of former mayor Archana Dehankar. She reportedly left for her parental home after her husband, Vinayak Dehankar, resigned from the party and decided to contest the NMC elections as an independent candidate.
Addressing the media, Vinayak Dehankar said he had been associated with the BJP since 1984, when the area was largely dominated by the Congress. “My wife earlier received a party ticket and won. This time, in Prabhag 17, instead of giving opportunities to local workers, tickets were allotted to outsiders, including a former Congress candidate. None of the four candidates fielded there are locals,” he said, expressing disappointment over what he described as the sidelining of long-time workers. He also acknowledged that his decision had upset his wife, who is a state-level office-bearer in the party.
In the Nagpur Municipal Corporation, the BJP–Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) alliance has technically held together, though the seat-sharing has drawn attention. The BJP has announced 143 candidates, while its ally has been allotted just eight seats. The opposition camp, meanwhile, looks splintered. The Nationalist Congress Party has chosen to go solo, Congress released close to 100 candidates on the final day, and the Sharad Pawar faction of the NCP fielded 79 candidates. Shiv Sena (UBT) has also decided to contest independently.
Beyond Nagpur, the political picture across Vidarbha’s municipal corporations appears equally fractured, with alliances under strain and several parties opting to contest independently.
