BJP-Congress forms alliance to sideline Shiv Sena in Maha local poll; Yes you read that right

In Indian politics, just when you think you understand it, it will shock and surprise you. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has formed a strategic alliance with its traditional rival, the Congress, to capture power in the Ambernath Municipal Council. This unexpected realignment has effectively sidelined the Shiv Sena, led by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, despite the two parties being partners in the state's Mahayuti government. The new combine, which also includes the NCP (Ajit Pawar faction), successfully secured the mayoral post for BJP's Tejashree Karanjule.

The alliance boasts the support of 32 councillors—16 from the BJP, 12 from the Congress, and four from the NCP (Ajit Pawar faction)—giving it a comfortable majority in the civic body. This development is particularly striking given the BJP's national rhetoric of a "Congress-mukt Bharat" (Congress-free India). The local BJP leadership, however, defended the move, stating that an alliance with the Shiv Sena at the local level would have been "truly unholy" due to alleged corruption within the Shinde-led party over the last 25 years.

The Shiv Sena has reacted with sharp resentment, labeling the tie-up a betrayal. Balaji Kinikar, an MLA from the Shinde camp, accused the BJP of stabbing them in the back. He questioned the BJP's ideological consistency, mocking them for ruling alongside the very party they seek to eliminate nationally. The internal friction in Ambernath has now raised serious questions about the stability and coordination of the Mahayuti alliance in the upcoming local and state-level contests.