In a dramatic political turn, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has joined hands with its long-time rival Congress and the NCP faction led by Ajit Pawar to seize control of the Ambernath Municipal Council in Maharashtra. The unexpected alliance pushed the Shinde-led Shiv Sena into the opposition despite it emerging as the single largest party in the council elections.

The development has sent ripples across Maharashtra’s political landscape, especially because BJP and Shiv Sena are allies at the state level under the Mahayuti government.

Numbers That Changed the Game

The 59-member Ambernath Municipal Council delivered a fractured mandate. The Shiv Sena won 23 seats, BJP secured 16, Congress bagged 12, and the NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) won four seats.

While the Shiv Sena fell short of the majority on its own, BJP stitched together a working majority by bringing Congress and NCP on board. Together, the three parties command 32 seats, comfortably crossing the halfway mark and securing control of the council.

This arithmetic allowed BJP to wrest the President’s post from the Shiv Sena, marking a major political upset in the region.

High-Stakes Prestige Battle in Shinde’s Backyard

The fight for the Ambernath Municipal Council President was seen as a prestige battle between Maharashtra BJP President Ravindra Chavan and Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde, son of Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

Ambernath falls in Thane district, which is considered Eknath Shinde’s political stronghold. Losing control here is being viewed as a symbolic setback for the Shinde faction.

In a closely fought contest, BJP candidate Tejashri Karanjule defeated Shiv Sena’s Manisha Walekar to become the new Council President.

BJP Defends Its Strategy

Reacting to criticism, BJP Vice-President Gulabrao Karanjule Patil said the party had tried multiple times to coordinate with the Shinde-led Shiv Sena under the Mahayuti umbrella but received no response.

“With no clarity from our allies, we had to take a decision in the interest of governance,” he said, defending the alliance with Congress and NCP at the local level.

Local Rivalries Override State Alliances

Ambernath has long witnessed a complicated political relationship between BJP and Shiv Sena. While they are partners in the state government, local politics often follows a different script, driven by seat-sharing disputes and leadership rivalries.

This episode once again highlights how municipal politics in Maharashtra frequently diverges from state-level alliances.

Bigger Picture: Municipal Elections Across Maharashtra

The Ambernath development comes at a crucial time, as elections are underway in 29 municipal corporations across the state. Notably, Mahayuti allies are contesting separately in 24 of these civic bodies.

BJP and Shiv Sena are fighting together only in Mumbai, Thane, and Kolhapur, while elsewhere local equations are reshaping alliances just as seen in Ambernath.

The outcome signals that civic politics in Maharashtra may continue to produce surprising coalitions and unexpected power shifts in the months ahead.