Mumbai: Local BJP units in Maharashtra have forged an alliance with the Congress in the Ambernath municipal council, and with the AIMIM in the Akot municipal council to gain control of the two urban civic bodies, much to the anger of the two national parties’ leaderships in the state.
With the partnerships drawing all-round flak, the state BJP leadership distanced itself from these local alliances and warned of strict action, while the Congress dissolved its Ambernath unit.
In the Ambernath municipal council of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, the BJP joined hands with the Congress to keep its ally, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, out of power.
In the Akot municipal council in Vidarbha’s Akola district, the BJP joined hands with Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM, and other parties, to gain power.
The BJP’s state leadership has sent a notice to the local leadership in Akot and Ambernath, and said it will take disciplinary action.
Speaking to ABP News Network, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said, “I am saying in very clear words. We will not tolerate any alliance with Congress and AIMIM. This alliance will have to be broken. If someone has said something at the local level, it is wrong and there will be action.”
The state Congress leadership has suspended its Ambernath president Pradip Patil, and dissolved the unit.
“There is no question of us backing the BJP anywhere. At the local level, if there are any alliances being formed after elections, they have to seek our permission. We have given these instructions to everyone. We have not gone anywhere with the BJP and there is no question of us going with them anywhere in the future,” Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal told reporters.
“We have asked for a clarification from our local taluka president and councillors there,” Sapkal said.
In a statement on X, Congress leader Sachin Sawant said various party workers have come together in Ambernath “setting aside party affiliations and symbols against the corruption perpetrated by the local level Shinde-led Shiv Sena.”
अंबरनाथ येथे पक्षीय अभिनिवेश व चिन्ह बाजूला ठेवून स्थानिक पातळीवरील शिंदे सेनेने केलेल्या भ्रष्टाचाराविरुद्ध विविध पक्षीय कार्यकर्त्यांनी अंबरनाथ विकास आघाडी स्थापन केली आहे. यात अपक्षही सामिल आहेत.
त्यामुळे काँग्रेस आणि भाजप एकत्र आले अशा बातम्या चुकीच्या आहेत. कृपया नोंद…
— Sachin Sawant सचिन सावंत (@sachin_inc) January 7, 2026
He said independents are also part of this front and that claims of Congress and BJP having come together are “incorrect.”
The Print reached AIMIM leader Imtiaz Jaleel through a call for a comment, but there was no response. The report will be updated if and when he responds.
Also Read: Council polls left bitter taste, BJP & Sena call truce; to join forces for Mumbai, Thane civic polls
What happened in Ambernath & Akot
At Ambernath in the Thane district, the BJP went solo in the election held last month and won 14 of the 60 seats.
The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, the BJP’s ally in the Mahayuti government, emerged as the single-largest party with 27 seats in the council, which is part of the Thane district, the home turf of Deputy CM Eknath Shinde.
The BJP’s local unit cobbled together an alliance with the local unit of the Congress and the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), along with one independent, to form the ‘Ambernath Vikas Aghadi’ of 31 councillors and got the majority in the council.
The party’s local unit submitted a letter to the Thane district collector on 31 December, informing the office about this formation, with the BJP’s Abhijit Karanjule Patil as the group leader.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Balaji Kinikar, an MLA of the Shinde-led Shiv Sena, said, “The local leaders out of their own selfishness have formed an unnatural alliance with the Congress simply for power. They have punched holes in the BJP’s stance of ‘Congress-mukt Bharat’.”
At Akot in Vidarbha’s Akola district, the BJP emerged as the single-largest party with 11 councillors in the 35-member local body where elections were held last month for 33 seats. The AIMIM clinched five seats.
To gain control of the municipal council, the BJP’s local leadership formed the ‘Akot Vikas Manch’ comprising the two Shiv Senas, the two NCPs as well as Prahar Janashakti Party of Bacchu Kadu.
The AIMIM councillors are also part of this front, while the Congress and Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi will sit in the Opposition.
Sanjay Raut, Rajya Sabha MP from the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, said, “The AIMIM is not anywhere around us, we are not anywhere around them. But the BJP has a hidden alliance with the AIMIM, and at some places like Akot it is in the open. It is their double standard.”
He said the Congress tying up with the BJP is also “wrong”.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
Also Read: BJP’s sweep, boost for Shinde, MVA’s fall—what local body polls say about power play in Maharashtra
What the hell is this ? Clearly this is just people who “bought” tickets and don’t give a damn about party politics. Welcome to municipal elections.