Putting to rest any chance of joining the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance in Maharashtra, the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) chief Prakash Ambedkar Wednesday announced that his party would contest the Lok Sabha elections on its own.
Ambedkar who was in talks with the MVA, which comprises the Congress, the Nationalist Congress (SP) and the Shiv Sena (UBT), for the Lok Sabha polls, also released the first list of nine candidates.
VBA chief Ambedkar will fight from Akola.
VBA has said it will support the MVA in Nagpur, where the Congress’ Vikas Thakre is up against BJP heavyweight and Union minister Nitin Gadkari.
Ambedkar said that till today, the OBC community had one or two MPs in the Lok Sabha. ”Therefore, this time, we have decided to field candidates from OBC Bhatke Vimukyta and ensure their victory,” he said.
He also said the VBA was in discussions with Maratha activists Manoj Jarange-Patil. “But he has asked us to wait for some more days,” he said.
Meanwhile Ambedkar accused Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut of “stabbing” it in the back amid seat sharing talks with the Maha Vikas Aghadi.
In a post on social media platform X, Ambedkar said, “How many lies Sanjay (Raut) is going to spread? If our thoughts are same, then why were we not invited to the MVA meetings? Why have you been holding meetings without inviting any representative of the VBA?”
“Despite being a political ally, you have stabbed us in our back. We know what kind of discussions you had held at the silver oak (the residence of opposition stalwart Sharad Pawar), you had even proposed building a candidate against Prakash Ambedkar in Akola Lok Sabha constituency,” he said further on X.
He alleged Raut was talking about an alliance but “on the other hand you conspire against us”.
 alliance in Maharashtra, the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) chief Prakash Ambedkar Wednesday announced that his party would contest the Lok Sabha elections on its own.){kind=link}