Twelve newly elected councillors of the Ambernath Municipal Council, who were suspended by the Congress for aligning with the BJP after the civic polls, formally joined the Bharatiya Janata Party late Wednesday night, triggering a major political realignment in the Thane district municipality.
The development was announced by Maharashtra BJP president Ravindra Chavan at the party office, where he said the move was driven by a shared commitment to development rather than a quest for power. “The people elected these councillors with the expectation of development. They believe the BJP-led government is capable of delivering justice and growth,” Chavan said.
The defections follow the December 20 civic polls, after which the BJP and Congress—traditional rivals—came together under the banner of the Ambernath Vikas Aghadi (AVA) to form the municipal council leadership, sidelining the Shiv Sena despite it emerging as the single largest party. The AVA also included the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party.
In the 60-member Ambernath Municipal Council, the Shiv Sena won 27 seats, falling four short of a majority. The BJP secured 14 seats, the Congress 12, the NCP four, and two independents were elected. With the support of one independent, the AVA’s strength rose to 32, crossing the majority mark of 30.
Embarrassed by the post-poll tie-up with the BJP, the Congress on Wednesday suspended its 12 newly elected councillors along with the local block president. Hours later, all 12 councillors joined the BJP, significantly altering the political balance in the municipality.
The BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP are partners in the ruling Mahayuti at the state level. However, Mahayuti ally Shiv Sena has termed the Ambernath developments a betrayal of “coalition dharma”, arguing that the arrangement was designed to keep the Eknath Shinde-led party out of power in the local body.
Chavan said the crossover reflected growing confidence in the BJP’s governance. “These councillors believe that only through the BJP can the promises made to citizens be fulfilled effectively,” he said, adding that the party would focus on stability and development at the municipal level.
On the BJP’s tie-up with the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen in the Akot Municipal Council in Akola district, Chavan said a show-cause notice has been issued to the party’s Akot MLA Prakash Bharsakhale. He added that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had expressed strong displeasure over such local-level alliances, warning that actions violating party discipline would not be tolerated.
Fadnavis on Wednesday reiterated that alliances with ideological rivals were not approved by the BJP leadership and amounted to indiscipline. Meanwhile, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) said the developments exposed the BJP’s double standards and its willingness to do whatever it takes to secure power.
