‘Globe-Trotting’ Councillors: Bombay High Court Puts Ambernath Civic Body Alliance Row on Hold

The Bombay High Court on Monday stepped in to pause the ongoing political tussle over power formation in the Ambernath Municipal Council, keeping in abeyance key orders passed by the Thane district collector regarding the recognition and de-recognition of rival political alliances. In a sharp yet humorous observation, the court described the frequent switching of sides by certain councillors as “globe-trotting,” underlining the fluid and uncertain political situation.

The dispute stems from the outcome of the December 20 municipal council elections in Ambernath, where the total strength of the civic body stands at 59 seats. To form the local government, a party or alliance requires the support of at least 30 councillors. However, since all parties contested the polls independently, none managed to secure a clear majority.

Following the results, the Bharatiya Janata Party, which won 14 seats, joined hands with the Indian National Congress, which had secured 12 seats. This post-poll tie-up was christened the Ambernath Vikas Aghadi (AVA). On January 7, the Thane district collector recognised AVA as a “pre-poll alliance,” enabling it to stake claim to form the municipal government.

The decision, however, triggered political turmoil. The Congress leadership rejected the alliance, expelled its elected councillors involved in the tie-up, and those councillors subsequently joined the BJP. Meanwhile, one Independent councillor and four members from the Nationalist Congress Party faction led by Ajit Pawar also extended support to the alliance, further complicating the numbers game.

Amid this churn, the Shiv Sena, led by Eknath Shinde, which had 27 elected councillors along with one Independent, reached out to the same four NCP members. On January 9, the district collector recognised this new combination as a “pre-poll alliance” and withdrew recognition granted earlier to AVA.

Aggrieved by the reversal, the AVA approached the Bombay High Court. A bench comprising Justices Ravindra Ghuge and Abhay Mantri heard the matter and expressed concern over the repeated changes in allegiance by the councillors involved. During the hearing, Justice Ghuge remarked that the four NCP members appeared to be “globe-trotting,” moving from one alliance to another with ease, raising questions about stability in governance.

While disposing of the plea, the court refrained from delivering a final verdict on the validity of either alliance. Instead, it sent the matter back to the district collector, directing him to hear all stakeholders — the BJP, Congress, NCP, and Shiv Sena — before passing a fresh, reasoned order.

The court instructed all parties to submit their written arguments to the collector by January 28. It further directed that the collector must issue a decision within 21 days, and that the order should not be implemented for two weeks thereafter, giving any aggrieved party the opportunity to seek legal remedy.

Until then, the court ordered that the collector’s communications dated January 7 and January 9 would remain suspended, effectively freezing the power struggle in Ambernath for the time being.