Nagpur: Days ahead of Legislative council elections, the BJP corporators along with councilors from the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) have set off for a ‘trip’ outside Maharashtra in an apparent attempt to prevent possible splitting of votes.
According to party sources, over 350 persons affiliated to the BJP, along with their family members of a few representatives have gone out of the state. BJP spokesperson, Chandan Goswami told PTI that the corporators have been moved out as the Congress party is trying to spread confusion in the ranks by making claims of defections.
“They have been sent to places like Nainital, Goa, Uttar Pradesh,” Goswami said, adding that the corporators will also study best practices of the civic body there. He also said that women corporators have preferred to visit Vaishno Devi.
When asked about the same to MLC Praveen Datke, he defended the party’s decision. “People are not facing any problem due to the corporators absence,” Datke said. He added that the leaders were sent so as there can be no new changes due to the code of conduct and the public can contact the offices of corporators to get their problems solved.
BJP has pitched its former minister and senior leader Chandrashekhar Bawankule. He has been pitted against Dr Ravindra Bhoyar who has won municipal elections from the BJP’s ticket and has now changed sides. He joined Congress when Bawankule got the ticket from the BJP and filed nomination for the MLC elections just a day after he joined hands with the Congress.
The BJP is currently ruling the party in the NMC and have a stronghold of about 107 seats in Nagpur out of the 155 seats.
