Bombay High Court Defers Decision on Ambernath Municipal Council Alliances, Orders Collector to Hear Parties

The Bombay High Court has kept in abeyance the Thane district collector's orders regarding alliances in the Ambernath Municipal Council, directing the collector to hear all parties before deciding. The dispute arose after the BJP allied with Congress to form the Ambernath Vikas Aghadi (AVA), sidelining Shiv Sena, the single-largest party. Subsequently, Congress suspended its members who joined BJP, while four NCP members shifted support to Shiv Sena. The court described these shifts as "globe-trotting" and postponed council committee formations pending the collector's reasoned order.