Chandrapur, Maharashtra , January 23, 2026 : The Congress unit in Maharashtra’s Chandrapur Municipal Corporation witnessed an open split on Friday after nearly half of its elected corporators formally broke ranks and registered themselves as a separate group, deepening internal turmoil within the party’s local leadership.
According to official records, 13 of the 27 Congress corporators submitted documents to form an independent group at the Nagpur divisional commissioner’s office, signaling a sharp escalation in the ongoing rift between senior Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar and the party’s Chandrapur MP Pratibha Dhanorkar.
The newly formed group is being led by corporator Sudarshan Adbale. Dhanorkar was personally present during the registration process, lending political weight to the move and underscoring the seriousness of the internal disagreement.
Soon after, the remaining 14 Congress corporators also reached the commissioner’s office and lodged a formal objection to the registration, arguing that the development effectively reflects a split within the Chandrapur Congress unit.
The internal discord comes at a sensitive time for the municipal body. In the January 15 civic elections, the Congress emerged as the single largest party with 27 seats, narrowly ahead of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which secured 23 seats in the 66-member corporation.
With a minimum of 34 corporators required to command a majority, the Congress’s fractured position could significantly alter power equations in the civic body and potentially open the door for political realignments.
Party sources said efforts to defuse tensions had failed in recent weeks, with leadership differences and control over local decision-making cited as key points of contention. There was no immediate official statement from the state Congress leadership on the split.
The situation is expected to be closely watched in the coming days, as it may have broader implications for Congress’s organisational stability in eastern Maharashtra.
