Achalpur civic body : BJP denies AIMIM alliance amid power-sharing controversy

Newly elected civic chief Rupali Mathane issued a clarification rejecting claims of a BJP–AIMIM tie-up

NAGPUR: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday denied reports of a local alliance with the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) in the Achalpur Municipal Council, saying the situation had been misrepresented and that the party had not entered into any formal understanding with the Asaduddin Owaisi-led party.

Achalpur civic body : BJP denies AIMIM alliance amid power-sharing controversy

Newly elected civic chief Rupali Mathane issued a clarification rejecting claims of a BJP–AIMIM tie-up. In a letter to district guardian minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, she said there was no officially recognised AIMIM group in the Achalpur Municipal Council, making any talk of an alliance baseless.

The clarification came after reports suggested that rival parties—the BJP, AIMIM and Congress—had extended mutual support ahead of the selection of chairpersons of various municipal committees, ensuring their unopposed election.

In the civic elections held last month, the BJP secured the post of Achalpur Municipal Council president for the first time, with Mathane elected as civic chief through direct elections. However, the Congress emerged as the single largest party, winning 15 of the 41 seats. The BJP won nine seats, followed by independents (10), AIMIM (3), Prahar Janshakti Party (2) and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) (2).

After the reports of a BJP-AIMIM alliance triggered sharp political debate and confusion, Mathane issued a strong clarification in her letter to Bawankule. The letter emphasised that the BJP, rooted in Hindutva ideology, has not entered into any alliance with AIMIM, which is primarily dedicated to protecting the rights of minorities. It added that rumours circulating on social media were aimed at creating confusion and misrepresenting the actual political arrangement in the council.

Clarifying the composition of the council, Mathane noted that multiple fronts and groups are functioning, including the Congress Front, Achalpur Vikas Aghadi, Achalpur–Paratwada Vikas Aghadi and the BJP Independent Group.

Justifying the entire deal, she further explained that representation in subject committees, the standing committee, and the chairperson posts has been given to all parties to ensure the smooth functioning of the civic body. In a special meeting held on Thursday, the committee structure was finalised: while the BJP holds the civic chief’s post, the deputy civic chief’s position has gone to the Congress.

Under the alliance, an AIMIM councillor, Saida Bano Abdul Sattar, was elected unopposed as the chair of the education and sports committee. The unopposed elections to various committees, however, led to speculation of a formal BJP–AIMIM alliance, prompting Mathane’s clarification.

State BJP general secretary Shivrai Kulkarni said the situation had been misrepresented. He claimed that the NCP, which has two councillors, had aligned with AIMIM, and that this NCP–AIMIM group extended unconditional support to the BJP-backed panel during committee elections. “The BJP was not directly involved in any alliance with AIMIM,” he asserted.

Echoing this view, Dinesh Suryawanshi, a state BJP working committee member from Amravati, said all committee elections were held unopposed, and the BJP did not seek AIMIM’s support.

The development in Achalpur follows similar instances in recent weeks, when the BJP forged unexpected local alliances with the AIMIM in Akot and with the Congress in the Ambernath municipal bodies. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis labelled the alliances “unacceptable” and ordered them to be disbanded immediately.