'Bid to occupy power': Shiv Sena-NCP join hands to block BJP; fresh twist to seize Ambernath civic body

NEW DELHI: Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena and the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), along with one independent councillor, on Friday formed a new group to stake claim to power in the Ambernath Municipal Council in Maharashtra, in a move aimed at keeping the BJP away from power.According to PTI, a senior Shiv Sena leader confirmed that the Sena, NCP and an independent have come together in a bid to occupy power in the Thane district civic body. A letter informing district authorities about the formation of the group has been submitted, he said. An NCP leader also confirmed the development."This development will upset the BJP's well-manoeuvred plans to gain control of the municipal council following the induction of the suspended Congress councillors," the Sena leader said.The move comes a day after the BJP inducted 12 suspended Congress councillors into its fold. Notably, both the Shiv Sena and the NCP are allies of the BJP in the Mahayuti government at the state level.After the December 20 local body polls, the BJP had joined hands with the Congress under the banner of the Ambernath Vikas Aghadi (AVA) to form the council, sidelining Shiv Sena despite it emerging as the single largest party.

The Ajit Pawar-led NCP was also part of the AVA.In the 60-member council, the AVA had secured 31 seats. Shiv Sena won 27 seats, BJP 14, Congress 12, NCP 4, while two independents were elected. With the support of one independent, the AVA’s strength had risen to 32, excluding the council president who belongs to the BJP.The Congress later suspended its 12 councillors and a block president over the tie-up with the BJP. With the latest realignment, the Sena–NCP–independent group now has the backing of 32 members, reshaping the power equation in the Ambernath Municipal Council.