Nagpur: In a major political setback ahead of the upcoming Nagpur Municipal Corporation elections, senior Congress leader and national secretary Prafull Gudadhe has been dealt a blow after his stronghold — Ward No. 38, Jaitala — was entirely reserved for women candidates in the newly announced reservation list.

For nearly 25 years, Gudadhe has maintained his dominance over the Jaitala area, a bastion that the BJP has never managed to capture. The decision to reserve all three seats in the ward for women has now disrupted the Congress’s established strategy in this crucial region.

In the previous civic polls, BJP had secured a massive victory with 108 corporators, defeating several senior Congress leaders. Yet, Jaitala remained an exception — all three corporators elected from the ward belonged to Congress, including Prafull Gudadhe, Ujjwala Bankar, and Pranita Shahane. Notably, Jaitala falls under the South-West Nagpur Assembly constituency represented by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

The reservation draw has put the Congress on the back foot even before the election campaign begins. Political observers are keenly watching what strategic move or “trump card” Gudadhe will play to help his party retain the seat despite his ineligibility to contest.

Meanwhile, BJP sees an unexpected opportunity to capture the Congress fortress this time, setting the stage for an intense electoral battle in Jaytala.

Interestingly, Gudadhe and Fadnavis have previously faced each other twice in Assembly elections — with Gudadhe failing to secure a win in South-West Nagpur, while Fadnavis’s BJP has never succeeded in defeating him in municipal polls. Known as an articulate corporator and a staunch opponent of Fadnavis, Gudadhe also served as the Congress group leader in the Nagpur Municipal Corporation.

With the new reservation setup reshaping the political dynamics, Jaitala ward is poised to become one of the most closely watched battlegrounds in the upcoming civic elections.