Pune, Jan. 3 -- Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis found himself straddling culture and political crisis on Friday, spending a significant part of the inauguration of the 99th Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan in Satara on his mobile phone, as barely a few hours were left for withdrawal of candidature for municipal corporation elections. The withdrawal deadline for 29 civic bodies, including Pune, Mumbai, Thane and Nagpur, ended at 3pm on Friday amid excess AB forms distributed by parties and a large number of rebels entering into fray. Those present at the literary event noticed Fadnavis repeatedly engaged in back-to-back phone calls while seated on the dais, prompting speculation about urgent political developments. The chief minister later confirmed that he was personally handling negotiations with rebel candidates, many of whom had filed nominations after being denied party tickets. During his inaugural address, Fadnavis apologised to writers and scholars for his conduct, acknowledging that it was unusual for him to be on the phone while attending a public programme. "People know that I do not speak on the phone when I am on the dais. But today I had no option," Fadnavis said. "Today is the last day for withdrawal of candidature for municipal corporation elections across Maharashtra. There are rebel candidates in every party. They do not withdraw unless they are spoken to and pacified." CM said he remained attentive to the proceedings despite being preoccupied with calls. "I apologise to the literary fraternity for this," he said. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been grappling with internal dissent in several civic bodies with denied aspirants choosing to contest as independents or rebels. The party leadership mounted a last-minute damage-control exercise to prevent vote splits....