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12 Suspended Congress Councillors Join BJP in Ambernath, Triggering Legal Fight

The move caps a short-lived cross-party front that sidelined the Shinde-led Sena, drawing censure from party leaderships.

Overview

  • Maharashtra BJP president Ravindra Chavan announced the late-night induction of all 12 Congress councillors, describing the switch as driven by development goals.
  • The Ambernath Vikas Aghadi of BJP, Congress, NCP and an independent had earlier assembled 31–32 members in the 60-seat council to keep the Shiv Sena out of power.
  • The Congress said it will seek disqualification of the defectors for abandoning the party after winning on its symbol, calling the move unconstitutional.
  • Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis declared unauthorized local tie-ups with Congress or AIMIM unacceptable, as the BJP issued a show-cause notice to its Akot MLA over an alliance involving AIMIM.
  • The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena termed the Ambernath arrangement a breach of coalition dharma after finishing as the single largest party with 27 seats.