Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has strongly rebuked local BJP units for forging post-election alliances with rival parties and has instructed them to immediately withdraw from such arrangements in Ambarnath and Akot, party sources said.
The directive comes after the BJP entered into an unexpected alliance with the Congress in the Ambarnath Municipal Council, a move aimed at preventing Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, a key ally at the state level, from forming the council leadership. The development has sparked political controversy and internal discontent within the BJP.
In the 60-member Ambarnath civic body, Shiv Sena emerged as the single largest party with 27 seats, falling just short of a majority. The BJP secured 14 seats, Congress won 12, Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) bagged four seats, while two seats went to independents. To block Shiv Sena from taking control, the BJP aligned with Congress and the NCP faction led by Ajit Pawar to cobble together a majority.
A similar situation unfolded in Akot in Akola district, where the BJP joined hands with Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM and other smaller parties to form the municipal council.
These alliances have drawn sharp criticism from political opponents. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut accused the BJP of ideological inconsistency, pointing out that the party campaigns nationally on the slogan of a “Congress-free India” while entering into tactical alliances with the Congress at the local level.
Raut also took aim at the BJP’s partnership with Ajit Pawar’s NCP, alleging that Ajit Pawar does not subscribe to the ideological principles associated with Veer Savarkar, a figure often invoked by the BJP.
