Gondia ZP: BJP infighting erupts as ex-chief clashes with works chairman

A meeting of the standing committee of Gondia Zilla Parishad on Wednesday exposed internal discord and a lack of coordination within the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. A direct verbal altercation broke out between the former Zilla Parishad president and the sitting works chairman over contracts for as many as 19 works of the public works department, causing an uproar at the meeting. The open dispute among senior office bearers of the same party, despite the BJP holding sole power in the Zilla Parishad, drew the attention of everyone present.

According to information received, as soon as proceedings began, discussion started on various development works of the public works department. Works chairman Dr. Laxman Bhagat had written to the executive engineer of his own department directing that agreements for as many as 19 works be halted and the tender process for them be cancelled. This letter suddenly heated up the atmosphere at the meeting. When it emerged that most of the cancelled works were linked to former Zilla Parishad president Pankaj Rahangdale, Rahangdale stood up and strongly objected to what he called arbitrary conduct. Raising the point that contracts for works linked to him specifically had been cancelled, he expressed sharp displeasure at the works chairman's decision.

The power struggle among senior office bearers of the same party, despite the BJP's sole control of the Zilla Parishad, drew the attention of those present. Works chairman Dr. Laxman Bhagat, considered calm and mild-tempered, was unable to effectively put forward his side against the former president's aggressive stance and appeared to be on the back foot. Former works chairman and current Zilla Parishad member Sanjay Tembhare also took Pankaj Rahangdale's side, making a sharp allegation that the works chairman was taking wrong and arbitrary decisions. This meant two senior office bearers stood opposed to the sitting chairman at the same time.

This entire episode played out in the presence of Zilla Parishad president Laykaram Bhendarkar, women and child welfare chairperson Pournima Dhenge, agriculture and animal husbandry chairperson Deepa Chandrikapure, and social welfare chairperson Rajani Kumbhare, along with senior officials of various departments. With internal differences in the ruling party surfacing openly before all these senior office bearers of the Zilla Parishad, the matter was also discussed in administrative circles. With the ruling party itself clashing over development works and internal factionalism now out in the open, there are clear signs that politics in Gondia Zilla Parishad will heat up further in the coming days over the same 19 works.