Political equations in Maharashtra’s Ambernath town witnessed a dramatic turn as all twelve Congress councillors elected to the municipal council formally joined the Bharatiya Janata Party, days after being suspended by their own party. The move comes in the aftermath of intense controversy over post-election alliances following the local body polls.
Confirming the induction, Maharashtra BJP chief Ravindra Chavan said the councillors decided to switch sides in the interest of development and stable governance. He stated that the elected representatives felt the BJP-led dispensation at the state level was better positioned to deliver infrastructure growth and effective administration for Ambernath.
The developments trace back to the municipal council elections held on December 20, which resulted in a fractured verdict. The 60-member council produced no clear majority, with Shiv Sena emerging as the single largest party but falling short of the numbers required to form the council on its own. The BJP and Congress finished behind, while the Ajit Pawar-led NCP and independents held the balance.
In a move that stunned the state’s political circles, local units of the BJP and Congress, along with the NCP, stitched together a post-poll arrangement under the banner of the Ambernath Vikas Aghadi. The alliance secured enough support to take control of the civic body, pushing the Shiv Sena into the opposition despite its numerical edge.
The alliance, however, triggered sharp reactions within the Congress leadership. Terming the tie-up with the BJP unacceptable, the party’s state unit swiftly suspended all twelve councillors involved and dissolved the Ambernath block committee, signalling strong disapproval of the local leadership’s decision.
Within hours of the disciplinary action, the suspended councillors announced their decision to formally join the BJP, deepening the political realignment in the town. Their move has further strengthened the BJP’s position in the civic body and exposed widening cracks within the Congress’s organisational structure at the grassroots level.
