Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Jan 7: Something almost impossible has actually happened, but the development may be short-lived and the foes-turned-friends arrangement to rule over two municipalities in Maharashtra may not last long as disciplinary actions have been initiated by all the major parties.
The political developments in the Ambernath Municipal Council of Thane district have triggered a major churn not only in the local politics but also across Maharashtra. The BJP which has for years aggressively promoted the slogan of “Congress-Free India” at the national level, chose a completely different route in Ambernath by forming an alliance with the Congress to secure power to oust its friend at the state-level Shiv Sena led by the deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde.
In Akot municipality in Akola district, the BJP formed a still more bizarre alliance in joining hands with the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and other parties, only leaving out the Congress. But the strange handshakes have been disapproved by the leaderships of all the three parties, the BJP, the Congress and the AIMIM.
The Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday warned of strict actions after reports that some BJP leaders had formed alliances with the Congress and the AIMIM in two municipal bodies. “The BJP can never form an alliance with the Congress or the AIMIM. Such alliances are unacceptable and will not be tolerated,” Fadnavis said after BJP leaders in Ambernath announced a tie-up with Congress after the recently held civic polls.
The CM said instructions have already been issued to undo the arrangements and also warned of disciplinary action against the leaders involved. “If any local BJP leaders have entered into alliances with these parties (AIMIM, Congress) without approval, it is a serious breach of party discipline and strict action will be taken,” he said. The Congress has suspended its rebel councillors while the AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi also said his party could not have any truck with the BJP.
Earlier on Wednesday, the BJP entered post-poll alliances with the Congress and the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) under the banner of ‘Ambernath Vikas Aghadi’ to form the Ambernath Municipal Council leadership, sidelining ally Shiv Sena. A similar coalition involving the BJP and AIMIM was stitched together in the Akot Municipal Council in Akola district. Fadnavis made it clear that neither alliance had the approval of the party’s senior leadership. “Any decision taken unilaterally by local leaders is wrong in terms of discipline,” he said.
The announcement sent shockwaves in political circles and even among those not following politics very closely, with social media erupting with reactions that reflected the surprise. “Things can’t get more interesting, the BJP alliance with congress in Ambernath for upcoming municipal corporation elections,” one of the many reactions on social media platform X read on Wednesday. The alliances, however, were said to have been announced by local leaders without having the both parties’ top brass being in the know of the development
This unexpected political move was widely seen as a calculated strategy to keep the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) out of the ruling setup. But the Maharashtra Congress refused such an alliance and suspended Ambernath bloc chief Pradeep Patil and all its elected corporators for what it described as a “violation of party discipline.”
In the surprising realignment, the BJP, the Congress, and the Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar faction) had come together to form an alliance named the “Ambernath Vikas Aghadi.” The alliance comprised of 14 BJP councillors, 12 Congress councillors, four from the NCP (Ajit Pawar faction), and one independent corporator. With the inclusion of the municipal president’s post, the alliance’s strength has risen to 32, giving the BJP a comfortable majority in the municipal council.
Backed by this alliance, BJP leader Tejashree Karanjule was elected President (Mayor) of the Ambernath Municipal Council. This outcome is particularly significant because, after the election results, the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) had emerged as the single largest party with 27 seats in the 60-member municipality. Despite that numerical advantage, the Shinde faction was sidelined from power through post-poll political manoeuvring.
A similar unusual set up happened in the Akot Municipal Council of Akola district where the BJP also struck a similar alliance with the AIMIM and other parties – naming the handshake ‘Akot Vikas Manch’, which also reportedly has support from the Uddhav Thackeray-headed Shiv Sena (UBT), Shiv Sena, NCP, Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) and Bachchu Kadu’s Prahar Janshakti Party winning the mayor’s post with BJP’s Maya Dhule elected.
The BJP won 11 seats in the 35-member council, with 2 seats pending election, and the AIMIM secured two seats. With the support of other parties, the alliance’s strength stands at 25. The alliance was formally registered with the Akola district administration on Wednesday, ahead of deputy mayor and committee elections on January 13. The Congress, with six seats, and the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi, with two, remained in the Opposition. In Akot, the BJP formed the ‘Akot Vikas Manch’ with the AIMIM and support from multiple parties.
The alliance was formally registered with the district administration ahead of deputy mayor and committee elections scheduled for January 13. BJP’s Akola MP Anup Dhotre claimed four AIMIM council members left their party and joined hands with them. Akola BJP MLA Randhir Savarkar claimed that out of the five AIMIM council members in Akot, four “rejected the party’s hardline and communal stance” and chose to join the ‘Akot Vikas Manch’, the news agency reported. AIMIM leader and former MP Imtiaz Jaleel said their leader Asaduddin Owaisi has made it clear that his party will not have a truck with the BJP.
The Maharashtra Congress president ordered to dissolve the Ambernath bloc Congress committee, dubbing the alliance “completely wrong action” by the local leadership. In a letter to Pradeep Patil, senior vice president of State Congress, Ganesh Patil said, “This is a completely wrong action and a violation of party discipline. Considering this matter, by order of the Hon’ble State President, Harshvardhan Sapkal, you are hereby suspended from the Congress party. Furthermore, your Block Congress Executive Committee is being dissolved. Similarly, all the corporators who have violated party discipline along with you are also being suspended from the party.”
The BJP’s decision to align with the Congress drew sharp criticism from rival parties, especially the Shiv Sena, led by Eknath Shinde. Sena leaders have termed the alliance ideological hypocrisy and described it as an “improper and unethical coalition.” Shinde faction MLA Balaji Kinikar alleged that the BJP, which publicly speaks of eliminating the Congress from Indian politics, has now embraced the same party purely for the sake of power.
He argued that Ambernath should have witnessed a traditional BJP-Shiv Sena alliance and warned that this decision sends a confusing and damaging message within the broader Mahayuti. According to him, such political compromises could have long-term repercussions in upcoming municipal corporation and civic body elections across the state.
The local BJP leadership had earlier defended its decision by linking it to development and clean governance. Local BJP leader Gulabrao Karanjule Patil stated that the alliance was formed in the larger interest of making Ambernath a fear-free and corruption-free city. He alleged that during the tenure of the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction), serious corruption cases had emerged and that two former municipal presidents had even landed in jail.
Karanjule further claimed that the BJP had made multiple attempts to engage the Shinde faction in discussions for a broader alliance in Ambernath, but their leaders failed to respond. Under these circumstances, he said, the BJP was left with no alternative but to join hands with the Congress and the NCP to ensure stable governance.
The Ambernath episode has clearly exposed growing strains within the Mahayuti alliance. While the BJP-Congress partnership has settled the power equation in the municipal council, it has simultaneously deepened mistrust between the BJP and the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction). Leaders from the Shinde camp argue that by breaking a long-standing alliance tradition, the BJP has sacrificed ideological consistency for political convenience.
Reacting to the developments, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut accused the BJP of opportunism, saying the party was willing to align with anyone to grab power. Sena MLA Dr Balaji Kinikar termed the move a betrayal of “coalition dharma” and contrary to the BJP’s national slogan of a “Congress-mukt Bharat.”
The alliance for Ambernath civic body is believed to have been taken by local BJP and Congress leaders, driven by the aims of weakening Shiv Sena in Ambernath and hold the power to run council as per their plans with the majority with their side. However, there is no approval or affirmation of this alliance from Congress leadership. BJP councillor Abhijit Karanjule Patil, appointed the group leader, told the media that the alliance was formed to free Ambernath from “corruption and intimidation.”
