Mumbai, Jan 8 (NationPress) The Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) revealed on Thursday that they will pursue legal action to seek the disqualification of 12 corporators from the Ambernath Municipal Council who switched allegiance to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The corporators, elected under the Congress banner in the recent municipal elections, officially joined the BJP earlier today. The Congress party has labeled this move as “entirely illegal” and “unconstitutional”, claiming it contravenes the Anti-Defection Law and constitutional guidelines.

Upon discovering the corporators' intent to collaborate with the BJP in the Ambernath Municipal Council, the Congress party suspended them on Wednesday.

Senior Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant stated that forming a separate faction or aligning with another political party after being elected under a specific party's ticket constitutes a breach of constitutional principles.

“Establishing a separate group or joining another party is unethical and unconstitutional. Legal notices will be dispatched to all twelve individuals soon,” Sawant asserted.

The Congress leadership emphasized that since these corporators obtained their electoral mandate under the Congress symbol, they inherently forfeited their right to remain as elected officials after switching parties. The party intends to approach the relevant judicial or administrative entities in the upcoming days to seek their formal removal from the municipal body.

Earlier today, all 12 corporators officially joined the BJP in the presence of state BJP chief Ravindra Chavan and Maharashtra Forest Minister Ganesh Naik. This mass defection occurred after a series of significant political events that drastically changed the local power dynamics.

The situation traces back to the municipal elections conducted on December 20 of the previous year, which resulted in a divided mandate. In a surprising turn, local factions of the BJP, Congress, and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP united to form the Ambernath Vikas Aghadi (AVA). This alliance aimed to prevent the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena from gaining control, even though the party emerged as the largest entity with 27 seats, falling short of the majority threshold of 31.

State Congress President Harshwardhan Sapkal had previously deemed the alliance unacceptable and against party principles.

Following the defections, BJP state president Ravindra Chavan stated that the corporators joined the BJP for developmental purposes. “They have aligned with us not for power, but for the betterment of Ambernath. They trust the leadership of the BJP-led government to meet the aspirations of the populace,” he remarked.

Conversely, Pradip Patil, a former Congress block president and one of the defectors, claimed that the state Congress leadership suspended them without hearing their perspective. “We established the Vikas Aghadi to liberate Ambernath from years of corruption and intimidation. Since our own party did not endorse our local vision, we opted to join the BJP,” he explained.

This development has also sparked unrest within the ruling Mahayuti alliance. Leaders from the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena criticized the move as a “betrayal of coalition dharma” and accused the BJP of undermining its ally by welcoming Congress defectors. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had earlier expressed strong discontent with any alliance with the Congress, although this induction signifies a shift in the BJP’s local strategy.