The Bombay High Court on Saturday stepped into the political storm unfolding in the Ambernath Municipal Council, putting an immediate halt on the formation of key subject committees. The court’s intervention came amid intense political maneuvering involving the BJP, Congress, Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction), and the NCP, following a fractured verdict in the recent municipal elections.
The court has now paused all further action until Monday, seeking clarity on which alliance can legally claim majority status.
Background of the Case
The Ambernath Municipal Council elections, held on December 20, 2025, threw up a fractured mandate. The 60-member house saw:
- Shiv Sena (Shinde faction): 27 seats
- BJP: 14 seats
- Congress: 12 seats
- NCP (Ajit Pawar faction): 4 seats
- Independents: 2 seats
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With no party crossing the halfway mark of 31, post-poll alignments began reshaping the power equations.
In a dramatic turn, the BJP and Congress - long-time political rivals - came together to form the “Ambernath Vikas Aghadi”, backed by NCP councillors and independents. The District Collector recognised this alliance as a pre-poll alliance on January 7, 2026.
However, the political situation soon took another turn.
Sudden Shifts and Political Chaos
Within days, all 12 Congress corporators were expelled by their party for siding with the BJP. Soon after, they formally joined the BJP. Around the same time, four NCP councillors switched allegiance and extended support to the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction), pushing Sena’s strength to 31.
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Based on this shift, the Collector recalled his earlier order and recognised the new grouping aligned with Shiv Sena as the valid pre-poll alliance.
This triggered a legal challenge from the Ambernath Vikas Aghadi, which approached the Bombay High Court alleging arbitrary action by the Collector.
Courtroom Drama and Sharp Observations
The matter came up before a division bench of Justice Ravindra Ghuge and Justice Abhay Mantri. Senior advocate Girish Godbole, appearing for the petitioners, argued that the Collector had wrongly withdrawn recognition without properly examining the law.
The petition relied heavily on an earlier five-judge bench ruling in Kumar Goraknath Shinde vs State of Maharashtra, which held that post-poll alliances should be treated as pre-poll alliances to prevent political horse-trading.
During the hearing, the bench made strong oral remarks on the repeated switching of sides by councillors.
“These four are opportunistic fence sitters. First they went to one side, then their love for the other side started. They have created this mess,” Justice Ghuge observed.
The court went on to say that such conduct could not be allowed to destabilise democratic functioning.
“They cannot hold the entire democratic system to ransom by repeatedly shifting sides,” the bench added.
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Court’s Interim Decision
Faced with competing claims, the court offered two options - either it would decide the matter conclusively after full arguments or send it back to the Collector for fresh consideration.
For the moment, the judges chose to maintain status quo.
“Heavens are not going to fall. There shall be a stay on the entire process till Monday evening,” the bench said while adjourning the matter.
As a result, the formation of key subject committees - including Public Works, Education, and Health - has been put on hold until further orders.
Political Fallout Continues
Meanwhile, political tensions continue outside the courtroom. Despite Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis calling the BJP–Congress alliance in Ambernath “unacceptable,” the BJP formally inducted the suspended Congress corporators.
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Shiv Sena leaders have expressed displeasure, saying they remain in opposition despite being the single largest party. The Congress, on its part, has announced legal action against the defecting councillors, calling their move “unconstitutional and unethical.”
The High Court will take up the matter again on Monday, when it will decide whether to rule on the legality of the alliance itself or send the issue back to the Collector for reconsideration.
Until then, the political uncertainty in Ambernath continues, with governance at a standstill and all eyes on the court’s next move.
Case Title: Ambernath Vikas Aghadi vs State of Maharashtra
Case Type: Writ Petition (Municipal Governance Dispute)
Decision Date: January 2026
