The Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court on Thursday dismissed a petition filed by the Nagpur District Congress Committee challenging the validity of a rebel group of the party’s corporators in the Nagpur Municipal Corporation.
A special Bench of Justice B.P. Dharmadhikari and Justice Rohit Deo dismissed the petition filed by Sanjay Mahalkalkar, a Congress corporator who was elected as the Leader of Opposition in the NMC.
After the municipal polls this year, 17 of the 29 Congress corporators rebelled against Mr. Mahalkalkar and district Congress president Vikas Thakre. They formed a separate bloc and gained the recognition of the Nagpur Divisional Commissioner and the NMC. The group claimed it was fed up with the ‘high-handedness’ of Mr. Thakre and his mentor former Nagpur MP, Vilas Muttemwar.
The group claimed that most Congress corporators supported Prafulla Gudadhe Patil as their leader and Mr. Thakre had appointed “a weak Leader of the Opposition to maintain his dominance”. In May, the rebel corporators appointed senior Congress corporator Tanaji Wanve as the Leader of the Opposition. Mr. Wanve said, “Today’s High Court decision is a win for democracy. We will now work for the people of Nagpur and expose the BJP.”
Meanwhile, Mr. Thakre said the rebel corporators would face disciplinary action. He said, “We will move the Supreme Court. We have served notices to them, but no one has replied yet. I will take action in a couple of days and will inform the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee about it.”
Congress sources said 12 corporators in the Thakre group might shift their allegiance following the High Court’s decision.