BJP, Congress form rare alliance to keep Sena out of power in Maharashtra's Ambernath

The Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena won 27 of the 60 seats in the Ambernath civic polls, falling just short of a majority.

• BJP, Congress, and NCP formed an alliance to control Ambernath municipal council
• Shiv Sena won most seats but was sidelined by the new alliance
• Tensions rise within Mahayuti alliance before Maharashtra elections.

Did our AI summary help?

In an unexpected development, the BJP joined hands with the Congress and the Ajit Pawar–led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) to take control of the Ambernath municipal council in Maharashtra.

The alliance sidelined the Eknath Shinde–led Shiv Sena, even though it emerged as the single largest party in the civic elections.  Ambernath is situated in Thane district is the home district of Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

The Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena won 27 of the 60 seats in the Ambernath civic polls, falling just short of a majority.

The BJP secured 14 seats followed by Congress (12 ), Ajit Pawar’s NCP (4). The remaining seats were secured by the Independents.

The unlikely alliance between the BJP and the Congress has also exposed fault lines within the ruling Mahayuti alliance ahead of the municipal elections in Maharashtra which are scheduled to take place on January 15.

Why did BJP ally with Congress?

BJP lacked the numerical strength among councillors to run the civic body independently. In a municipal council, the president has the authority to decide which issues are taken up for discussion in General Body meetings. However, when it comes to passing a proposal or resolution by consensus, the matter must be approved by a majority vote.

According to Times of India, to overcome the lack of a majority, BJP initiated talks with opposition parties at the local level. The negotiations culminated on Tuesday with the formation of the Ambernath Vikas Aghadi.

BJP corporator Abhijit Karanjule Patil was appointed group leader of the alliance.

Abhijit told TOI that BJP had contested the elections against corruption and a culture of intimidation under the Shiv Sena's long rule in the civic body. "Our objective was to free the municipal administration from fear and corruption and to ensure development in Ambernath. Keeping that goal in mind, we formed this alliance," he said.

However, the move has drawn sharp criticism from Sena. Party netas have termed the Aghadi an "unethical and opportunistic arrangement", according to TOI. For the Shinde-led Shiv Sena, the outcome is a setback. Despite being the largest party, it was unable to secure enough allies to form the council, leaving it out of power.

Meanwhile, a Congress insider told TOI that his party can either align with BJP or the Shinde faction or remain absent.

According to the Congress leader, no formal proposal for an alliance has been received by his party.