Parbhani: With the municipal council and municipal corporation elections over, political activity in the district has intensified ahead of the Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections. Political parties have begun scouting for winnable candidates, while attempts to lure leaders and activists from rival parties have gained momentum, resulting in continued party switching ahead of the ZP polls.
Over the past four months, political parties in the district witnessed frequent defections during the municipal council and municipal corporation elections. Several activists switched loyalties after being denied candidature by their parties, leading to internal rebellions and unexpected realignments. These shifts altered political equations in the district, resulting in surprising electoral outcomes.
Against this backdrop, party switching has again intensified in recent days as parties prepare to field candidates for 54 Zilla Parishad seats and 108 Panchayat Samiti seats. Political parties have started identifying aspirants and assessing their eligibility to strengthen their prospects in the upcoming elections.
On Jan 19, Kiran Sontakke, state president of the teachers’ cell of the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar), resigned from his post. There are rumours that he may soon join the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray). Similarly, Nationalist Congress Party leader Manisha Kendra joined the Bharatiya Janata Party following the backdrop of the Jintur elections.
On Jan 20, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Marotrao Bansode Pahelwan joined MLA Ratnakar Gutte Mitra Mandal. Along with hundreds of supporters, Altaf Syed also joined the Gutte faction.
