12 Congress leaders, suspended for alliance with BJP, joins the saffron party in Maha drama

All 12 newly-elected Congress councillors formally joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday. This move followed their immediate suspension by the Congress party for entering into an "unholy" local alliance with the BJP to capture power in the Ambernath Municipal Council. Along with the councillors, the local block president Pradip Patil also made the switch, effectively hollowing out the Congress's local organizational structure.

The political realignment was confirmed by Maharashtra BJP President Ravindra Chavan, who welcomed the councillors into the saffron fold. Chavan stated that the decision of these representatives was driven by a commitment to the development of Ambernath rather than a mere pursuit of power. He added that the councillors believe only a BJP-led administration can deliver the dynamic governance and justice that the citizens of Thane district expect after the fractured mandate of the December 20 polls.

The turmoil began after the local body elections where the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena emerged as the single largest party with 27 seats but failed to reach the majority mark of 31. In a surprise tactical move, the BJP (14 seats), Congress (12 seats), and Ajit Pawar’s NCP (4 seats) formed the Ambernath Vikas Aghadi (AVA) to sideline the Shiv Sena. The state leadership of the Congress, embarrassed by this alliance with their ideological rival, chose to dissolve the local unit and suspend the winning candidates, which eventually triggered the mass defection.