Amravati: In a development that has surprised Maharashtra’s political circles, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Asaduddin Owaisi-led All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) have come together in local municipal bodies, forging alliances despite being ideological rivals at the state and national levels.
The latest such arrangement has emerged in the Achalpur Municipal Council in Amravati district, where the BJP and AIMIM have formed a power-sharing alliance to secure key positions. As part of the agreement, an AIMIM councillor has been appointed Chairman of the Education and Sports Committee.
The governing alliance in Achalpur comprises the BJP as the leading partner, AIMIM with three councillors, the Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar faction) with two councillors, and three Independents.
This development follows a similar controversial tie-up in the Akot municipal council, where the local BJP leadership brought AIMIM councillors into the ruling front under the banner of the “Akot Vikas Manch”.
The trend has also extended to the Hivarkhed Municipal Council, where a rare tripartite coordination was seen. A BJP candidate for the Deputy Chairperson’s post was proposed by a Congress member and seconded by an AIMIM councillor, drawing further attention to the emerging pattern of cross-party cooperation at the local level.
These local alliances have drawn sharp criticism from the BJP’s state leadership. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has expressed strong displeasure, terming such tie-ups “acts of indiscipline” that damage the party’s image. He has reiterated that the BJP will not tolerate alliances with either the AIMIM or the Congress.
Earlier, the BJP’s state unit had issued a show-cause notice to Akot MLA Prakash Bharsakale for his role in facilitating the local alliance with the AIMIM. The Chief Minister has also directed that these local arrangements be dismantled, stating that any such alliances formed by local leadership must be undone.
Despite the issuance of show-cause notices at the time, the situation on the ground remains unchanged.
The persistence of these alliances indicates that local power equations are increasingly overriding the ideological positions set by the party headquarters. While local leaders justify the arrangements as necessary for development and administrative stability, the strong reaction from the state leadership highlights a growing disconnect between grassroots political compulsions and centralised party discipline.
With IANS inputs