In Maharashtra Civic Body, Another Twist Puts Eknath Shinde In Driver's Seat

When local body elections are spoken about in Maharashtra, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation hogs most of the limelight by virtue of being one of the richest civic bodies in Asia. This time, however, the relatively unknown Ambernath Municipal Council is giving the Mumbai juggernaut a tough fight and, in the process, highlighting just how complex the Maharashtra political landscape has become since the NCP and the Shiv Sena became two NCPs and two Senas.

The first shock came on Tuesday, when it emerged that the BJP had tied up with the Congress in the 60-member council to keep its ally Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) - which emerged as the single largest party - out of power. This was done with the help of Ajit Pawar's NCP, also an ally at the state level, which has itself been kept out of alliances by the BJP and Shinde's Shiv Sena in several places, including the BMC.

The BJP-Congress tie-up caused a flutter in both parties. While the Congress dissolved the Ambernath unit and suspended 12 leaders for allying with the saffron party, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis asked his party to cut ties with the Congress, saying such an alliance was not acceptable.

The tie-up was also criticised by leaders from Shinde's Shiv Sena as well as the opposition faction led by Uddhav Thackeray. Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) MP Sanjay Raut called out the BJP for its "double standards" of calling for a "Congress-free India" and then entering into an alliance with the party.

Friday brought a new twist and another political realignment. 

The four NCP (Ajit Pawar) councillors decided to withdraw their backing for the BJP-led coalition, dubbed the 'Ambernath Vikas Aghadi', and support Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena, after the 12 suspended Congress councillors also joined the BJP. Shinde's Shiv Sena already has 27 councillors, just four shy of the majority mark, and managed to get past it with the support of the NCP leaders and an independent councillor.

Asked about the change of heart, from one Maharashtra ally to another, the NCP councillors said they were not comfortable sharing power with the Congress, a party they have opposed since the Sharad Pawar-led NCP split in 2023. 

Local leaders also said the public mandate was in favour of the Mahayuti (the state-level coalition of the BJP, Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar's NCP) coming to power, and not for an alliance with the Congress.

The development is being seen as a blow to BJP State President Ravindra Chavan, who reportedly planned the alliance with the Congress and then inducted its suspended councillors into the BJP.