Overview
- The 12 Congress councillors suspended for backing a BJP-led front in Ambernath formally joined the BJP, Maharashtra unit chief Ravindra Chavan announced.
- The local post-poll bloc in Ambernath—BJP with Congress, NCP and an independent—secured a working majority in the 60-member council, sidelining the larger Shiv Sena contingent.
- Congress dissolved its Ambernath block and suspended the councillors before their defection, calling the BJP move unethical and accusing it of double standards.
- Following a brief tie-up with AIMIM in Akot, the BJP issued a show-cause notice to MLA Prakash Bharsakhale, as party leaders reiterated that alliances with Congress or AIMIM are unacceptable.
- Shiv Sena leaders denounced the developments as a breach of coalition norms, with the turbulence unfolding days before the January 15 municipal elections including the BMC.