NASHIK, Oct 5: The assault on a Shiv Sena lady corporator, Kalpana Vasant Manbhav, has brought to the fore the infighting within the Sena. As aides of Social Welfare Minister and Guardian Minister of Nashik, Babanrao Gholap clamour for her resignation, Gholap's bete noire and local Member of Parliament Rajabhau Godse rushes to her rescue warning the Gholap group.

Manbhav had been elected to the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) in February this year from Ward No 29, which was reserved for scheduled tribe women. Apparently, her victory had annoyed Sena's district vice-president Sunil Baqul, whose mother Bhikubai couldn't contest as the ward was reserved. On September 30, a group of people assaulted Manbhav, after she refused to stay awake and patrol her ward following a dacoit scare.

Vaant Manbhav, who filed a case at the Panchavati police station, stated that Sunil Bagul was one of the persons who attacked her though the police officials refused to register a case against him.

Subsequently, Sunil Bagul and Sena men of the Gholap camp announced that Manbhav was incompetent and she would be asked to resign. This has irked the anti-Gholap camp, with MP Rajabhau Godse publicly warning Gholap's aides against clamouring for her resignation and bullying her. Manbhav had earlier even contacted the Sena Supremo Balasaheb Thackeray seeking justice on the issue.

Meanwhile the equations in the party are thus - district president Vinayak Pande, city president Data Gaikwad, vice-president of the district Sunil Bagul are in Gholap's camp.

At the same time, Mayor Vasant Gite and district president of Vidyarthi Sena and regional chief of Shiv Udyog Sena, Abhay Ugaonkar, are known Godse lieutenants.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.