Politics made strange bedfellows in Maharashtra as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) joined hands with the rival Congress to wrest control of the Ambernath Municipal Council from its Mahayuti alliance partner Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde).
Despite Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena emerging as the single largest party, the BJP managed to win the council president’s post with the help of the Congress and Ajit Pawar’s NCP.
In the recently held municipal council elections, the Shiv Sena won 23 seats, the BJP 16, Congress 12 and Ajit Pawar’s NCP four seats.
However, the BJP stitched an alliance with the Congress and the NCP to form its president. With support from the Congress and NCP, BJP’s tally reached 32 seats, crossing the majority mark in the 59-member Ambernath Municipal Council.
It was a battle of prestige for State BJP President Ravindra Chavan and Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde in Ambernath, which is situated in Thane, the home district of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
BJP fielded Tejashri Karanjule against Shinde Sena’s Manisha Walekar for the council president’s post.
The unlikely alliance between the BJP and the Congress has also exposed fault lines within the ruling Mahayuti alliance ahead of the municipal elections in Maharashtra which are scheduled to take place on January 15.
Of the 29 municipal corporations, the Mahayuti allies are not contesting together in 24 municipal corporations. However, the BJP and Shiv Sena are fighting together in Mumbai, Thane and Kolhapur.