The Indian National Congress leadership has succeeded in persuading most of its prominent rebel candidates to withdraw from the Nagpur Municipal Corporation election race. Former corporators Purushottam Hajare, Zulfikar Bhutto, Firoz Khan, Amar Bagde, Asha Uike, and Jishan Mumtaz Mohammed Irfan Ansari withdrew their nominations following intensive efforts by party leaders.
However, candidates who filed nominations on tickets of the two factions of the Nationalist Congress Party after being denied Congress tickets remain in the fray, as they are now official candidates of their respective parties.
Congress leaders began persuasion efforts from Thursday morning, continuing till 3 pm, resulting in withdrawals across several wards. Former corporator Kamlesh Chaudhary, who had filed nominations from Wards 12 and 14, withdrew from Ward 14, while his wife Komal Chaudhary withdrew from Ward 12. Kamlesh Chaudhary, however, continues to contest from Ward 12 as an Independent.
In Ward 13, Amar Bagde, who had joined Congress after earlier winning as a BJP candidate, also withdrew after entering the race as an Independent. Withdrawals were also reported from Wards 8 and 11, though Ram Kalambe remains in the fray as an Independent.
Meanwhile, in Ward 21-D, Gaurav Mahajan withdrew in support of Ajay Anant Dalal, while Badal Pandey withdrew from Ward 24-D.
Box: Spouses Step Aside
In Ward 23-C, Meenakshi Duneshwar Pethe withdrew, while her husband Duneshwar Pethe remains in the race. In Ward 10, Arun Davre withdrew, with his wife Seema Davre contesting on a Congress ticket.
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