Thane: Following a week of high-pitched political drama, Shiv Sena-backed Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) councillor Sadashiv Hender Patil was on Monday elected vice-president of the Ambernath Municipal Council (AMC) in Maharashtra by defeating the BJP nominee.
The election, which took place during a general body meeting of the council, was preceded by a ruckus and shouting match between BJP and Shiv Sena councillors.
Conducted under the Local Self-Government Elections 2025 framework, the contest saw Sadashiv Patil securing the post with 32 votes against 28 polled by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Pradip Patil.
The victory for Sadashiv Patil Patil, representing the NCP and supported by the Shiv Sena, delivered a significant setback to the BJP in Ambernath town in Thane district.
In addition to the VP post, five members were elected as nominated members of the council.
Earlier, the general body meeting descended into chaos as the process to elect the AMC vice- president led to a shouting match between BJP and Shiv Sena councillors.
The meeting witnessed ugly scenes as members of both groups traded insults. Angry BJP councillors were seen waving slippers and shouting at the Shiv Sena nominee for the VP post.
The political landscape in Ambernath has been volatile leading up to Monday’s vote.
Recently, a rare alliance titled the Ambernath Vikas Aghadi (AVA), comprising the BJP, Ajit Pawar-led NCP, and local Congress members, was formed to challenge Shiv Sena’s long-standing dominance. The rivalry intensified after 12 Congress councillors defected to the BJP.
Later, the NCP joined hands with the Shiv Sena to register a majority in the council.
The civic body has been witnessing a power struggle between the BJP and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, both allies in the state government, since the AMC elections last month.
While the BJP elected its nominee, Tejashree Karanjule Patil, as AMC president in the polls held last month, the election for the vice-president’s post became a new flashpoint between the two parties.
The 60-member council currently has 27 councillors from the Shiv Sena followed by the BJP (14), Congress (12), NCP (4), and independents (2).
Initially, the local BJP unit formed the AVA with the support of 12 Congress and four NCP councillors to reach a majority of 32. But the Congress suspended the 12 councillors who later joined the BJP.
Later, the four NCP councillors withdrew support from the BJP and joined the Shiv Sena, boosting the Shinde-led party’s strength to 32 and effectively giving them control of the House.
During Monday’s vote, the BJP issued a whip to all AVA constituents to vote for its nominee, Pradip Patil. However, the NCP rejected the whip, a move backed by local Shiv Sena MLA Dr Balaji Kinikar, who declared that the “AVA no longer exists.”
