The Congress on Wednesday suspended its local leadership in Ambernath after the party’s councillors joined hands with the BJP to form the municipal council leadership, triggering embarrassment for the opposition party amid the larger political row over cross-party civic alliances in Maharashtra.
Vice president of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) Ganesh Patil has written to Ambernath Congress block president Pradeep Patil, informing him of his suspension from the party for entering into an alliance with the BJP without the knowledge or approval of the state leadership.
“This is not a good thing, so as per instructions by the state president, Harshwardhan, you are being suspended from the party.”
What the Congress letter states?
In the letter, Ganesh Patil said the Congress had contested the civic elections on its own symbol and secured 12 seats in the Ambernath Municipal Council, but the subsequent decision to join hands with the BJP came to light only through media reports.
Calling the move “unacceptable”, he said the action was taken on the instructions of state Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal.
“We have fought elections on the Congress symbol and won 12 seats. However, without informing the state leadership or the state office, you have entered into an alliance with the BJP. This is not a good thing. As per the instructions of the state president, you are being suspended from the party,” the letter stated.
The disciplinary move comes amid controversy over post-poll alliances forged by the BJP with rival parties in two municipal councils – Ambernath in Thane district and Akot in Akola district. In Ambernath, the BJP joined hands with the Congress and the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) under the banner of ‘Ambernath Vikas Aghadi’ to form the civic body’s leadership, sidelining ally Shiv Sena despite it emerging as the single largest party.
The development also drew a sharp reaction from Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis who rejected the alliances and warned of action against BJP leaders involved.
Who won in Ambernath?
In the 60-member Ambernath Municipal Council, the Shiv Sena won 27 seats, the BJP 14, Congress 12, NCP four, and two independents.
The BJP-Congress-NCP combine crossed the majority mark with the support of an independent, leading to the election of a BJP councillor as council president on Wednesday.
