Mumbai: In a surprising political development, the local unit of BJP in Ambernath, a town in Thane district, has joined hands with the Congress to clinch power in the municipal council.
The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena has strongly protested the BJP decision. Following the recent elections to the Ambernath Municipal Council, it was widely expected that the Shiv Sena, which emerged as the single largest party with 27 councillors, would ally with the BJP to assume power. However, in a strategic move, the BJP instead aligned with the Congress, which has 14 members, and the NCP with four members, effectively keeping the Sena out.
With this development, it has become clear that the Shiv Sena, a BJP partner in the Mahayuti government that has ruled the council for the past 35 years, will now have to occupy the opposition benches. During the elections, the Shiv Sena and the BJP had contested against each other. The BJP defeated the Sena candidate for the president post, with its nominee Tejashree Karanjule emerging victorious. The BJP secured 14 seats, while the Shiv Sena won 27, reaffirming its position as the largest party.
Despite the keen contest, there was speculation that the BJP and the Sena would eventually come together. Karanjule had even paid a courtesy visit to local MP Shrikant Shinde, son of Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Subsequent discussions were also held between BJP state president Ravindra Chavan and local MLA Balaji Kinikar of the Shindeled Sena. However, even as talks continued between Chavan and MP Shrikant Shinde, the BJP local unit went ahead and formalised an alliance with the Congress and the NCP under the banner of the Ambernath City Development Front, named the Ambernath City Development Front.
The grouping has been projected as the Ambernath City Development Front. The move sent shockwaves through the Shiv Sena camp, with MLA Kinikar describing the tie-up as an unholy alliance. Speaking to The Free Press Journal, Kinikar said the BJP decision had come as a complete surprise. He added that senior BJP leaders might not be aware of the local developments. It was unfair, he argued, especially when the two parties were allies at the state level. The BJP state unit reaction was awaited when this edition went to press.
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