<p>Thane: The intense power struggle continue in the Ambernath town of Thane district as deputy chief ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar came together on Friday to give a heavy blow to the BJP.</p><p>The past few days have sprung several surprises in the Ambernath Municipal Council (AMC).</p>.Mumbai and MMR cannot be separated from Maharashtra, say Thackeray brothers.<p>In the December 2025 elections to 59-member AMC, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena won 27 seats followed by BJP (14), Congress (12), Ajit Pawar-led NCP (4) and Independents (2).</p><p>BJP's Tejashree Karanjule was elected as the AMC president defeating Shiv Sena's Manisha Walekar, in a direct election.</p><p>The Shiv Sena was four short of majority in the municipal body.</p><p>Even as Shiv Sena was making efforts, the BJP seized power by joining hands with Congress and NCP by floating a front named Ambarnath Vikas Aghadi.</p><p>As BJP joined hands with Congress, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis was rattled and said that such an alliance will not be allowed.</p><p>In the meantime, the Congress disbanded it's Ambernath unit and suspended the councillors for violating party line.</p><p>However, state BJP president Ravindra Chavan took the opportunity and inducted the 12 Congress councillors in the BJP in presence of state forest minister Ganesh Naik.</p><p>In fact, Chavan and Naik are political opponents of Shinde and his son and Kalyan MP Dr Shrikant Shinde in the Thane belt.</p><p>A shocked Shinde hit back by pulling the four NCP councillors our of the BJP-led group and gaining support of an Independent member - thus totalling 32 in the 59-member body.</p><p>According to latest information, the NCP councillors were not comfortable in sitting together with the Congress members who joined the BJP.</p><p>When reports last came in, the necessary formalities were being done by Shiv Sena and NCP.</p>
<p>Thane: The intense power struggle continue in the Ambernath town of Thane district as deputy chief ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar came together on Friday to give a heavy blow to the BJP.</p><p>The past few days have sprung several surprises in the Ambernath Municipal Council (AMC).</p>.Mumbai and MMR cannot be separated from Maharashtra, say Thackeray brothers.<p>In the December 2025 elections to 59-member AMC, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena won 27 seats followed by BJP (14), Congress (12), Ajit Pawar-led NCP (4) and Independents (2).</p><p>BJP's Tejashree Karanjule was elected as the AMC president defeating Shiv Sena's Manisha Walekar, in a direct election.</p><p>The Shiv Sena was four short of majority in the municipal body.</p><p>Even as Shiv Sena was making efforts, the BJP seized power by joining hands with Congress and NCP by floating a front named Ambarnath Vikas Aghadi.</p><p>As BJP joined hands with Congress, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis was rattled and said that such an alliance will not be allowed.</p><p>In the meantime, the Congress disbanded it's Ambernath unit and suspended the councillors for violating party line.</p><p>However, state BJP president Ravindra Chavan took the opportunity and inducted the 12 Congress councillors in the BJP in presence of state forest minister Ganesh Naik.</p><p>In fact, Chavan and Naik are political opponents of Shinde and his son and Kalyan MP Dr Shrikant Shinde in the Thane belt.</p><p>A shocked Shinde hit back by pulling the four NCP councillors our of the BJP-led group and gaining support of an Independent member - thus totalling 32 in the 59-member body.</p><p>According to latest information, the NCP councillors were not comfortable in sitting together with the Congress members who joined the BJP.</p><p>When reports last came in, the necessary formalities were being done by Shiv Sena and NCP.</p>