TNI Bureau: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has expressed strong displeasure over local-level alliances forged by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with rival parties in municipal councils and has asked party units to withdraw from such arrangements.
The directive comes after the BJP entered into an unusual alliance with the Congress and the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) to form the ruling body in the Ambernath Municipal Council in Thane district. The move was aimed at keeping Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena out of power, despite the Sena being a state-level ally of the BJP.
In the 60-member Ambernath council, Shiv Sena emerged as the single-largest party with 27 seats, falling four short of a majority. The BJP won 14 seats, Congress secured 12, Ajit Pawar-led NCP won four seats, and two independents were elected. The numbers prompted the BJP to join hands with Congress and NCP to secure control of the civic body.
Chief Minister Fadnavis has also objected to the BJP’s alliance with the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) in the Akot Municipal Council in Akola district and has asked local units to end both alliances.
The developments have triggered sharp criticism from opposition leaders. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut accused the BJP of “double standards,” pointing out that the party’s slogan of a “Congress-free India” contrasts with its alliance with the Congress in Ambernath. He also criticised the BJP for aligning with Ajit Pawar’s NCP, claiming that Ajit Pawar does not subscribe to the ideology of Veer Savarkar.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi also took a swipe at both the BJP and the Congress over the unexpected alliances, remarking that moral posturing by political parties should be avoided in light of such moves. She further highlighted the BJP’s tie-up with AIMIM in Akot, calling Maharashtra politics complex and unpredictable.
The local alliances have added to political tensions in the state and raised questions over coordination within the BJP-led coalition in Maharashtra.
 with rival parties in municipal councils and has asked party units to withdraw from such arrangements.){kind=link}