Mumbai

MP Sanjay Raut on Wednesday criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for forming unexpected alliances with the Congress in Ambernath and AIMIM in Akot following recent municipal council elections, calling it a display of “double standards.”

Addressing a press conference, Raut took aim at the BJP for raising the slogan of “Congress-free India” while aligning with the Congress to secure control of the Ambernath Municipal Council.

“BJP is a double-standard party. Prime Minister Modi talks about a Congress-free India, but the BJP has joined hands with the Congress in Ambernath. They are also in an alliance with AIMIM. Don’t trust them,” Raut said.

He also criticised the BJP’s alliance with Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), alleging ideological inconsistency. “They have allied with Ajit Pawar, who does not believe in Veer Savarkar’s ideology. Yet the BJP lectures Shiv Sena on Savarkar. If the BJP truly believes in Savarkar, they should remove Ajit Pawar from the alliance,” he added.

In Ambernath, the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) emerged as the single largest party with 27 seats, falling four short of a majority in the 60-member council. The BJP won 14 seats, Congress 12, Ajit Pawar’s NCP four, while two seats went to independents. To keep out its ally Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena, the BJP forged an alliance with Congress and the NCP to form the council.

The BJP also entered into an alliance with Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM and other parties to gain control of the Akot Municipal Council in Akola district.

Reacting to the developments, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi also took a swipe at both the BJP and Congress.

READ MORE: IUML's Fatima Muzaffar Ahmed is the epitome of Muslim woman leadership

“So next time any supporter of either party tries to take the moral high ground, please do yourself a favour and keep quiet,” Chaturvedi posted on X, adding, “Maharashtra politics is not for beginners — it is level pro max.”