BJP, Congress Unite in Ambernath, Oust Shinde's Shiv Sena in Rare Alliance

• BJP and Congress formed an unexpected alliance in Ambernath Municipal Council, Thane, to keep Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena out of power.
• The alliance, named Ambernath Vikas Aghadi, also includes Ajit Pawar-headed Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) councillors.
• Despite Shiv Sena emerging as the single-largest party with 27 seats, BJP's Tejashree Karanjule Patil won the municipal president's post.
• Congress suspended its Ambernath president Pradeep Patil over the tie-up with BJP, highlighting internal party dissent.
• Shinde camp accused BJP of "back-stabbing" and forming an "indecent alliance," while BJP cited Shiv Sena's alleged corruption and lack of cooperation.

Why It Matters: BJP and Congress's rare alliance in Ambernath reshapes local power and sparks state-level political tension.