BJP-Congress alliance in Ambernath intact despite Maharashtra CM's objection

AMC polls: BJP-Congress alliance in Ambernath intact, despite CM Fadnavis' objection

The BJP-Congress alliance in Ambernath Municipal Corporation remains intact, despite strong objection from Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Congress' suspension of 12 leaders.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (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.

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".

With the partnerships drawing all-round flak, the state BJP leadership also distanced itself from these local alliances and warned of strict action.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said, “I am saying in very clear words. We will not tolerate any alliance with Congress and AIMIM. This alliance will have to be broken. If someone has said something at the local level, it is wrong and there will be action.”

Surprising alliance

The BJP, the Congress, and the Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar faction) had come together to form an alliance named the "Ambernath Vikas Aghadi." In the 59-ward AMC, the Shiv Sena had won the lion’s share of 27 seats, BJP 14, Congress 12 and NCP (Ajit Pawar) four. BJP’s Tejashree Karanjule was elected as the president through a direct election.

By joining hands, the BJP (14), Congress (12), and NCP (four) have reached a total of 32 seats against Shiv Sena’s 27. Though the BJP and Shiv Sena had contested against each other, it was expected that they would come together and forge a post-poll alliance to control power in the AMC.

With this, the Shiv Sena, which is a partner of the BJP partner in the Maha Yuti government along with NCP, will now have to occupy the opposition benches.

12 suspended Congress councillors join BJP

12 newly elected councillors in the Ambernath Municipal Council, suspended by the Congress for aligning with the BJP after the polls, have formally joined the saffron party.

Maharashtra Bharatiya Janata Party president Ravindra Chavan announced the development at the BJP office late on Wednesday night, asserting the move was not motivated by power but driven by a shared commitment to development.