India, Jan. 31 -- The Congress's internal rift for control of the Chandrapur Municipal Corporation (CMC) took a dramatic turn on Thursday when a bus carrying newly elected party corporators was intercepted on the Samruddhi Expressway, leading to allegations of attempted abduction and death threats.

The incident occurred despite a recent meeting between senior Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray aimed at consolidating control of the CMC. A fresh twist has emerged with allegations that a group led by Congress MP Pratibha Dhanorkar is negotiating with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to take control of the civic body.

According to the police, a luxury bus carrying around 19 Congress corporators loyal...