Anil Sole withdraws rebel candidacy, Girish Vyas takes back resignation; BJP-Congress contest in Nagpur

Nagpur, October 13: The infighting in the BJP over the graduates' constituency election has finally ended. Anil Sole, a senior party leader and former MLA, had rebelled and filed his candidature as an independent. He has now announced his decision to withdraw it.

Meanwhile, former MLA Girish Vyas, who had openly expressed displeasure over the party's functioning and resigned from the BJP's primary membership, has also relented. Vyas had supported Sole's rebellion. Senior BJP leaders have succeeded in addressing his grievances, and the resignation has been withdrawn.

With this, the internal dispute in the Nagpur BJP has cooled down. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis's mediation is believed to have worked. The Nagpur graduates' constituency election will now see a direct contest between the BJP's Sudhakar Kohale and the Congress's Abhijit Wanjari.

The BJP had fielded former MLA Sudhakar Kohale this time. Anil Sole, however, was also keen to contest from the same seat. Sole then filed his nomination as an independent and raised the banner of revolt against the party. Girish Vyas openly backed Sole's stand. As a result, the BJP faced a major challenge from within its own ranks in the Nagpur graduates' constituency. The efforts of the party's senior leaders have now succeeded, and the Nagpur division graduates' constituency will see a direct BJP versus Congress contest.

A key BJP meeting was held in Nagpur yesterday, October 12, to decide the plan and strategy needed to win the graduates' constituency election. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was present. Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, all BJP MLAs and key office-bearers also attended. The meeting also discussed how to quell the rebellion within the party.

Afterwards, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis went to the home of the rebel candidate Anil Sole and persuaded him. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari also spoke to Sole and tried to convince him. A few days earlier, state president Ravindra Chavan had also gone to Sole's home, but Sole was away at the time and the two could not meet. Finally, respecting the request of the BJP's senior leaders, the rebel candidate Anil Sole stepped back and has extended support to the party's official candidate Sudhakar Kohale.