In a dramatic political development that has stirred controversy within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) itself, twelve councillors from the Congress party in Ambernath officially joined the saffron party on Thursday. This move came just a day after the Congress leadership suspended these councillors for engaging in what it termed 'anti-party activities'.
A Hurried Induction Amidst Reservations
The suspended councillors were formally received into the BJP fold by the party's Maharashtra unit chief, Ravindra Chavan, at a function. However, the optics of the event and the swiftness of the induction have raised significant questions, not only from the opposition but also from within the BJP's own ranks. The councillors were suspended by the Congress on Wednesday for their key role in forming a local alliance with the BJP within the Ambernath municipal council.
The Ambernath Vikas Aghadi Coalition
The root of the controversy lies in an opportunistic coalition forged in the Ambernath municipal council. Congress and BJP councillors had come together to form a bloc named the Ambernath Vikas Aghadi. The primary objective of this alliance was to secure a majority vote in the council and effectively keep the Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction out of the decision-making process. This unusual partnership between political adversaries had left the leadership of both the Congress and the BJP struggling to explain the situation to their respective party workers and the public.
The very next day, the BJP hurriedly inducted the suspended Congress members, a decision that immediately drew internal criticism. Senior BJP minister Ashish Shelar publicly expressed his dissent, stating that the issue would be discussed intensively within the party. Shelar told The Times of India that his personal opinion was that "the Congress councillors should not have been brought into the party."
Internal Dissent and Promise of Action
Shelar did not mince words, indicating that a mistake had been made. "Some people made a mistake, and they have to face action for it," he asserted. He reiterated that the matter would be thoroughly debated within the party forums, highlighting the clear rift the incident has caused within the state BJP unit. The episode underscores the complexities of local body politics in Maharashtra, where alliances are often formed and broken based on immediate tactical gains, sometimes at the cost of broader ideological consistency and internal party harmony.
The defection of the twelve councillors marks a significant shift in the balance of power within the Ambernath municipal council and sets the stage for further political maneuvering in the region. The BJP now faces the dual challenge of managing the fallout from this acquisition while also addressing the vocal internal disagreement over its propriety.
