In Maharashtra, a rare BJP-Congress alliance, then all hell broke loose

BJP, Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar faction) formed an alliance named the 'Ambernath Vikas Aghadi'.

• Congress and BJP formed post-poll alliances in Ambernath and Akot civic councils
• Fadnavis ordered BJP units to end alliances with Congress and AIMIM immediately
• Congress suspended 12 councillors in Ambernath over the alliance with BJP

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An unprecedented move by Congress and BJP to form a post-poll alliance in Ambernath Municipal Council to keep the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena out of power has sparked a political unease in the state ahead of the Maharashtra civic polls.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday expressed strong displeasure over local BJP units forging post-poll alliances with rival parties such as  Congress and directed that such tie-ups be immediately ended. The BJP also formed a similar alliance with AIMIM in Akot.

“I am making it very clear that any alliance with the Congress or the AIMIM will not be accepted. If any local leader has taken such a decision on their own, it is wrong in terms of discipline, and action will be taken," Fadnavis told PTI.

According to him, instructions had already been issued to reverse the alliances.

He directed all BJP units to withdraw from alliances with the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) in Akot and the Congress in Ambernath.

Similarly, the alliance caused backlash in the Congress camp as well, with the party's Maharashtra unit suspending its 12 newly-elected councillors on Wednesday.

What happened in Ambernath

According to reports, BJP, Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar faction) formed an alliance named the "Ambernath Vikas Aghadi".

The alliance comprised 14 BJP councillors, 12 Congress councillors, four from the NCP (Ajit Pawar faction), and one independent corporator. BJP councillor Tejashree Karanjule Patil was elected council president on Wednesday, defeating Sena’s Manisha Walekar.

The rare move has unsettled state units, as the Congress and AIMIM are ideologically at odds with the BJP and have never historically aligned with the saffron party.

The Shiv Sena criticised the move, calling it “unethical and opportunistic". Sena MLA Dr Balaji Kinikar termed it a betrayal of “coalition dharma" and said it went against the BJP’s national slogan of a “Congress-mukt Bharat".

BJP corporator Abhijit Karanjule Patil said the alliance was formed to free Ambernath from “corruption and intimidation", a claim rejected by the Sena.

AIMIM-BJP alliance in Akot

The BJP also struck a similar alliance with the Asaduddin Owaisi's All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) in the Akot Municipal Council in Akola district.

The ‘Akot Vikas Manch’ had the support of AIMIM, along with support Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena, Ajit Pawar’s NCP, Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) and the Prahar Janshakti Party. The BJP won 11 seats in the 35-member council, while the AIMIM secured five. With backing from other parties, the alliance’s strength stands at 25.

BJP’s Maya Dhule was elected mayor, defeating AIMIM’s Firozabi Sikandar Rana, while Ravi Thakur was appointed BJP group leader. The alliance was formally registered with the Akola district administration on Wednesday.

On Wednesday, Fadnavis said such local-level arrangements violated party discipline and would not be tolerated.

Congress takes action

The Congress on Wednesday suspended its local leadership in Ambernath in a damage control effort.

Vice president of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) Ganesh Patil wrote to Ambernath Congress block president Pradeep Patil, informing him of his suspension from the party.

"This is not a good thing, so as per instructions by the state president, Harshwardhan, you are being suspended from the party,” said the letter.

According to Patil, the Congress had contested the civic elections on its own symbol and secured 12 seats in the Ambernath Municipal Council, but the subsequent decision to join hands with the BJP came to light only through media reports.

Maharashtra Congress chief Harshavardhan Sapkal told The Indian Express that there is no question of any alliance between the BJP and the Congress, as both fought against each other.