BJP joins hands with Congress to keep ally Shiv Sena out of power in Ambarnath; indiscipline, says Fadnavis

Maharashtra Chief Minister Fadnavis, however, made it clear that such arrangements were not approved by the party’s senior leadership and violated organisational discipline. File | Photo Credit: ANI

Fadnavis orders that these alliances should be cancelled; Congress serves notices to its councillors

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday January 7, 2026 said that the party will take action against those who formed an alliance with Congress and AIMIM in two local bodies in Maharashtra.

He said this after the party joined hands with Congress and NCP in Ambarnath municipal council to keep ally Shiv Sena out of power. In Akot Municipal Council of Akola too, the BJP has joined hands with elected councillors of AIMIM who later abandoned the party.

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“This is unacceptable. What has happened in Ambarnath and in Akola is not okay. If this has been done by the local leadership, it will have to be broken. This is indiscipline. We will take action against them. Alliance with Congress, AIMIM won’t be tolerated. I have given orders to take action,” Mr. Fadnavis said on Wednesday (January 7, 2026).

In Ambarnath municipal council, where Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena won the maximum number of seats in the second phase of elections held last month, the BJP extended its hand of alliance to Congress and NCP, keeping the largest party out of power. In a local body of 59 members, the Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde won 28 seats. BJP has 14 corporators, while Congress has 12 and NCP (Ajit Pawar) has four corporators.

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BJP councillor Tejashree Karanjule Patil was elected the council president, defeating Sena’s Manisha Walekar, and took the oath on Wednesday (January 7, 2026).

“We had fought the elections separately, not in alliance. But when we won the majority seats, we went to BJP for an alliance. While the senior leaders agreed to form an alliance, the local leaders went ahead and gave a letter to the Collector to keep us out of power. This is indecent and rude,” Balaji Kinekar, Shiv Sena’s local leader from Ambarnath told The Hindu.

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He said that the BJP’s local leadership went ahead with the alliance despite assurances from they would keep away corporators against whom the BJP had campaigned.

“We campaigned against two of their leaders on the plank of corruption-free Ambarnath. Now, how can we sit in power with the same people against whom we went to the people of Ambarnath?” asked Gulabrao Karanjule-Patil of BJP explaining on the post-poll tie up.

Meanwhile, Congress has issued notices to the local cadres of Ambarnath for not seeking prior approval of the senior leadership. The party too said that the election in Ambarnath was fought against Eknath Shinde’s corruption in the civic body.

“It is wrong to say that the BJP and Congress came together in Ambarnath. All other political parties including independents kept aside their party symbols and differences to join hands against the corruption of Eknath Shinde’s Sena. That is why Ambarnath Vikas Aghadi was formed,” Congress leader Sachin Sawant said.

“We have initiated disciplinary action by sending them a show cause notice. We are taking legal opinion as well, for further course of action,” Mr. Sawant told The Hindu, adding that the 12 newly elected councillors haven’t yet been suspended.

Akot Vikas Manch –
A similar situation emerged in Akot municipal council of Akola as well.

The BJP formed the ‘Akot Vikas Manch’ with the AIMIM, besides support from the Uddhav Thackeray-headed Shiv Sena (UBT), Shiv Sena, NCP, Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) and Bachchu Kadu’s Prahar Janshakti Party.

The BJP won 11 seats in the 35-member council, with 2 seats pending election, and the AIMIM secured 2 seats. With the support of other parties, the alliance’s strength stands at 25.

The alliance was registered with the Akola district administration on Wednesday, ahead of deputy mayor and committee elections on January 13.

The Congress, with six seats, and the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi, with two, remained in the Opposition.

BJP’s Akola MP Anup Dhotre claimed four AIMIM council members left their party and joined hands with the saffron outfit, which AIMIM state president Imtiaz Jaleel has denied.

(With inputs from PTI)