TNI Bureau: In a rare political development, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress have come together to form a governing alliance in the Ambernath Municipal Council in Maharashtra’s Thane district, effectively keeping Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena out of power.

The BJP joined hands with Congress councillors and the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) to form the Ambernath Vikas Aghadi, which has taken control of the civic body in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. The move has triggered political ripples across Maharashtra, given the unusual partnership between the BJP and the Congress.

Municipal elections were held last month, in which the BJP and Shiv Sena—despite being allies at the state and national levels—contested separately. In the 60-member council, Shiv Sena emerged as the single-largest party with 27 seats. The BJP won 14 seats, Congress secured 12 seats, the Ajit Pawar-led NCP won four seats, and two independents were elected.

Despite its numerical strength, the Shiv Sena failed to secure the post of municipal president. Its candidate, Manisha Walekar, lost to BJP nominee Tejashree Karanjule Patil, dealing a setback to the Shinde faction.

The new alliance has sparked sharp reactions from Shiv Sena leaders of the Shinde camp, who accused the BJP of political betrayal. MLA Dr Balaji criticised the BJP for aligning with the Congress, despite its long-standing slogan of promoting a “Congress-free India,” and termed the alliance “indecent.”

Responding to the allegations, BJP vice president Gulabrao Karanjule Patil rejected the charge of back-stabbing. He said an alliance with the Shinde group, which he accused of being involved in corruption for over two decades, would have been inappropriate. He also claimed that the BJP had made repeated attempts to discuss an alliance with the Shinde camp in Ambernath but received no response.

While the BJP-Congress-led Ambernath Vikas Aghadi is now discussing governance and power-sharing, the unexpected alliance has added strain within the broader political landscape and intensified tensions among former allies.