New Delhi, Jan 7 (UNI) The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Wednesday alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress were joining hands to sideline Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena in Maharashtra’s ruling ‘Mahayuti’ alliance—a claim swiftly denied by the Congress on social media platform X.
The allegation first surfaced when AAP leader Anurag Dhanda posted on X, suggesting the two national parties, who once helped each other indirectly, were now openly coming together. “First, they used to meet like a secretive couple. But the relationship between BJP and Congress has now become public. Isn’t this like throwing dust in the eyes of the people of the country?” Dhanda wrote in Hindi.
Former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal quoted Dhanda’s post, alleging the move was aimed at marginalizing Shinde’s faction. “Has BJP joined hands with Congress to defeat its own ally, the Shinde Sena? What is going on?” Kejriwal posted. The BJP, Ajit Pawar-led NCP, and Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena are allies in the state’s Mahayuti government.
Congress leader Sachin Sawant promptly rejected the reports. “In Ambernath, setting aside party affiliations and symbols, various party workers have formed the Ambernath Development Front against the corruption perpetrated by the local-level Shinde Sena. Independents are also included in this. Therefore, news reports claiming that Congress and BJP have come together are incorrect. Please take note,” he wrote on X. The municipal elections in Maharashtra are scheduled for January 15.
