Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday directed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to immediately withdraw from local alliances with the Congress and the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) in two municipal councils, declaring such tie-ups “not acceptable.”
Reacting to reports of alliances forged ahead of the January 15 BMC council elections, Fadnavis said strict instructions had been issued to break the arrangements in Ambernath (Thane district) and Akot (Akola district).
“Alliance with Congress and AIMIM is not acceptable. It will have to be broken. Accordingly, directives have been issued. The matter will be looked into, and disciplinary action will be taken if anybody has violated orders. The BJP cannot accept an alliance with Congress or MIM. We have made it clear,” Fadnavis said.
Ambernath Alliance Sparks Controversy
In Ambernath, located about 60 km from Mumbai, the BJP had formed the Ambernath Vikas Aghadi in an effort to keep the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena out of power. The alliance included 14 BJP corporators, 12 from the Congress, four from the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and one Independent.
A letter announcing the formation of the front and naming Abhijeet Gulabrao Karanjule-Patil as group leader was submitted to the Thane district collector.
Although the BJP secured the municipal chairman’s post, the Shiv Sena emerged as the single largest party in the council with 27 seats. Both Chief Minister Fadnavis’s party colleague and state BJP chief Ravindra Chavan, as well as Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde, hail from Thane district. Political observers say the alliance was driven by a local power tussle aimed at retaining control of key posts.
BJP–AIMIM Tie-Up in Akot
In Vidarbha’s Akola district, the BJP formed another alliance, the Akot Vikas Manch, in the Akot municipal council. The front included the AIMIM, which won five seats—second only to the BJP in strength.
The alliance also brought together both factions of the Shiv Sena (Thackeray and Shinde), both factions of the NCP (Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar), and Bachchu Kadu’s Prahar Janshakti Party. The registration of the alliance was submitted to the Akola district collector on Tuesday, with BJP corporator Ravi Thakur appointed as the group leader.
Under the arrangement, all corporators from member parties were required to follow the group leader’s whip. The front currently commands the support of 25 out of 33 elected members, with municipal council president Maya Dhule acting as the 26th member.
The alliance was set to vote collectively in elections for the deputy president and co-opted members scheduled for January 13. Dhule had earlier defeated AIMIM candidate Firojabi Sikandar Rana by 5,271 votes in the council president’s election.
Meanwhile, six Congress corporators and two members from the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi are expected to sit in the opposition.
