BJP wrests control of Ambernath Municipal Council by forming a post-poll majority with the support of the Congress and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP, sesidelining the Shinde-led Shiv Sena despite it emerging as the single largest party.
High-stakes prestige battle in Thane district saw BJP’s Tejashri Karanjule defeat the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) candidate in the council president’s election, a setback in Deputy CM Eknath Shinde’s home district.
Local alliances diverge from state-level ties as the BJP-Congress tie-up in Ambernath highlights growing tactical realignments ahead of civic polls, with Mahayuti allies contesting separately in most of Maharashtra’s municipal corporations.
In a significant political realignment at the local level, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has formed a majority in the Ambernath Municipal Council with the support of the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) faction led by Ajit Pawar, dealing a setback to the Shinde-led Shiv Sena in its home district of Thane.
Ambernath, located in Thane district, considered the political bastion of Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, witnessed an intense contest for control of the 59-member municipal council following recent elections. While the Shiv Sena emerged as the single largest party with 23 seats, it fell short of a majority. The BJP secured 16 seats, Congress 12, and the NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) four.
Despite trailing the Shiv Sena in numbers, the BJP managed to stitch together an unlikely post-poll alliance with the Congress and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP to capture the council leadership. In a closely fought presidential election, BJP’s Tejashri Karanjule defeated the Shinde faction’s nominee Manisha Walekar to become the President of the Ambernath Municipal Council.
The contest was seen as a prestige battle between state BJP president Ravindra Chavan and Shrikant Shinde, Member of Parliament and son of Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. BJP leaders maintained that efforts were made to arrive at a consensus with the Shiv Sena under the Mahayuti banner, but claimed there was no response from the Shinde faction.
BJP vice-president Gulabrao Karanjule Patil said the party had attempted multiple rounds of discussion with its ally but was compelled to explore other options to ensure a stable council.
The development highlights the growing divergence between state-level alliances and local political compulsions. While the BJP and Shiv Sena remain partners in the Mahayuti government in Maharashtra, municipal politics in several regions has exposed sharp rivalries and competing ambitions.
The Ambernath outcome comes at a time when elections to 29 municipal corporations across Maharashtra are underway. Of these, Mahayuti allies are contesting separately in 24 corporations, while the BJP and Shiv Sena are jointly contesting only in Mumbai, Thane and Kolhapur.
