NAGPUR, Oct. 13 -- The rebellion within the BJP over the Nagpur Division Graduates' Constituency Legislative Council election appears to have eased after Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis visited rebel leader Anil Sole at his residence late on Monday to persuade him to withdraw his candidature. Following a closed-door meeting, Sole reportedly agreed to withdraw from the contest and support the party's official candidate, Sudhakar Kohale. Another senior leader, Girish Vyas, also withdrew his resignation, signalling a possible resolution to the internal rift. However, official confirmation of these developments is awaited. The developments come amid a major internal crisis in the BJP's Nagpur unit ahead of the election. Sole, a former MLC and close associate of union minister Nitin Gadkari, had rebelled against the party by entering the fray as an independent candidate against Kohale. The rebellion had threatened to upset the BJP's calculations in a constituency that has traditionally been its stronghold. In 2020, the Congress's Abhijit Wanjari defeated the BJP's Sandip Joshi, ending the party's long winning streak in the seat. The rift deepened when Vyas, a former MLC and state spokesperson, resigned from the party to support Sole. A long-time RSS worker whose father once led the Bharatiya Jana Sangh nationally, Vyas had even offered Sole his office in Mahal, near the RSS headquarters, as his campaign office. Several other prominent BJP leaders had also backed Sole, including former mayor Kishore Dorle, former deputy mayors Dr Ravindra Bhoyar and Sunil Agrawal, and city BJP treasurer Prof Rajesh Bagdi. Sole is considered close to Gadkari and heads the committee organising the Union minister's annual cultural festival, the Khasdar Mahotsav. His decision to contest independently had fuelled speculation about possible tacit support from Gadkari, particularly after the Union minister attended a felicitation programme for Sole last month. However, when Sole decided to enter the contest, Gadkari and Maharashtra BJP chief Ravindra Chavan reportedly attempted to contact him, but he switched off his phone and declined to meet them. If Sole's reported withdrawal is confirmed, the move could help the BJP consolidate its support in the constituency....