KMC poll: Rebels go unreachable; BJP claims Solapur unrest quelled; CM to kickstart campaign spree from Ichalkaranji and Sangli from today

Kolhapur: Several disgruntled party workers who had rebelled against their party's decisions and filed nominations for Kolhapur Municipal Corporation election went "unreachable" to avoid calls from party leaders on Friday, the last day of nomination withdrawals.Some rebels alleged that their parties favoured newcomers over loyal workers who had served for decades. One such candidate, Madhavi Patil from Ward 20, said, "The party relies on loyal workers to draw crowds, but when it comes to rewarding them, they are sidelined for reasons like financial status or lack of influence. Once I decided to rebel, I refused to withdraw my nomination."Now, 543 candidates remain in the fray across 81 corporator wards in KMC, with 274 candidates withdrawing their nominations. Elections will be held in 20 wards of the municipal corporation, with Wards 1 to 19 having four members each and Ward 20 having five. A total of 813 nomination papers were initially filed. Rebellion was reported in BJP, Shiv Sena, Congress, and NCP ranks.Among those who withdrew their nominations were former KMC mayor Hasina Faras, former corporator Mayadevi Bhandare, former standing committee chairman Indrajit Salgar, former corporator Rahul Chavan, and Krishnaraj Mahadik (son of Rajya Sabha MP Dhananjay Mahadik). Other notable withdrawals included NCP candidates Yogita Kodolikar, Shruti Amit Patil, Geeta Ajit Tivade, Kiran Ramchandra Majgaonkar, Namrata Rakesh Mahadik, Rituja Ajit Jadhav, Tejaswini Vijaysinh Mane, Parvez Dilawarkhan Pathan and Dhanashree Todkar.MLA Rajesh Kshirsagar said, "Everyone has the right to seek candidature, but tough decisions must sometimes be made after considering party surveys and local dynamics. Those who were capable but not selected should not feel wronged or disheartened. Party workers who withdrew their nominations have been assured fair treatment through appointments to various positions in corporations, state, district, and taluka-level committees, nominated corporator roles in the Kolhapur Municipal Corporation, and important committees such as education and transport in the near future."BJP on Friday said party members successfully persuaded rebels to withdraw their nominations for the Solapur Municipal Corporation elections. With this development, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis is expected to attend rally in Ichalkaranji and Sangli on Saturday — his first for municipal elections.In Kolhapur, BJP state president Ravindra Chavan will speak at a meeting at Mirajkar Tickti on Saturday afternoon.For the 102 seats in the Solapur Municipal Corporation, a total of 1,460 nominations were filed. Although the final list of candidates has not yet been released by election authorities, BJP members claimed that they managed to prevent most rebels from contesting. Solapur BJP MLA Mahesh Kothe said he convinced his aunt to withdraw her nomination. "In most places, rebels have withdrawn. Where delays have kept nominations in place, we will approach them and seek their support for party candidates," Kothe said.However, another Solapur MLA, Subhash Deshmukh, upset over ticket allocation, backed 26 independent candidates. While some withdrew, many remain in the race, creating three-way contests and, in some wards, even five-way battles.Half the nominees withdraw in SangliFor the Sangli-Miraj-Kupwad Municipal Corporation, 652 nominations were filed for 78 seats. Of these, 301 candidates withdrew, leaving 381 in the fray. For the municipal poll, BJP and Shiv Sena are contesting jointly, Congress and NCP (SP) have allied, while NCP is also contesting separately. Additionally, Jansurajya Shakti Party has fielded candidates.