Congress expels two for ‘anti-party activity’, says their nomination withdrawal resulted in Mahayuti’s unopposed wins in Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation elections | Mumbai News
Kalyan: Congress has expelled two party functionaries who withdrew their nominations in the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) elections, a move that resulted in unopposed victories for the Mahayuti candidates.Terming the withdrawal of nominations as “anti-party activity”, the district committee decided to expel Laxman Ambhore, who had filed his nomination from Panel 23-D, and Chetan Bhandari, who was contesting from Panel 1-A, with immediate effect.Kalyan District Congress president Rajabhau Patkar stated that the actions of the two leaders amounted to serious indiscipline and were against the interests of the party.According to Congress, Ambhore’s sudden withdrawal ensured an unopposed victory for BJP candidate Jayesh Mhatre,while Bhandari’s action lowered the level of competition for Shiv Sena’s Jaywant Bhoir in Panel 1-A. The party leadership maintained that both candidates withdrew without seeking prior permission or informing senior leaders, violating party discipline.A total of 20 candidates have been elected unopposed in the KDMC elections. Of these, two seats saw no rival nominations, while in 18 wards, candidates withdrew their papers. Among the 20 unopposed winners, 14 are from BJP and six from the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. Opposition parties have alleged that money power, pressure, and intimidation were used to force nomination withdrawals, allegations denied by the ruling Mahayuti alliance.
