Maharashtra likely to witness a larger Mahagathbandhan against BJP

Erstwhile MVA may rope in the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi, founded by Prakash Ambedkar, grandson of B.R. Ambedkar.

The erstwhile Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA), that had Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress in it, may now also try to rope in the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), a new political party founded by Prakash Ambedkar in 2019. “Prakash is a grandson of B.R. Ambedkar, so tying up with him will send a message that Dalits are with the MVA,” a political analyst based in Maharashtra said.
Sources privy to the developments suggest that the alliance between the Uddhav-led Sena and Prakash Ambedkar has been finalised for the upcoming Bombay Municipal Corporation elections (BMC) which is expected to remain in all other elections as well, but it is still in a negotiating phase with the Congress and NCP currently. “The alliance between Prakash Ambedkar and Sena is final; however, it is not yet known what Congress and NCP are thinking about the alliance,” a source said.
Last elections as well, a source said, when NCP and Congress came together, Prakash Ambedkar was asking for the Baramati Assembly seat which has been for years the Pawar family’s traditional stronghold. The deal was not possible and hence there there was no alliance. A state Congress secretary of Maharashtra told The Sunday Guardian that the Congress for now is not ready to say anything on it, but they could go for alliance in pressure of Shiv Sena.
“If there is an alliance between all the parties, it will be Congress that will not have any benefit. But yes, Shiv Sena (Uddhav) will benefit from it.”
A senior Congress leader said, “We might benefit from contesting out of alliance in the BMC, the Mumbai district president is also propagating for contesting separately. He is not agreeing for alliance.”
He added, “The Mumbai Congress president wants to get that hold of Congress back in the state when there was Congress and Shiv Sena reining supreme in the state. But then it is to be seen what the Congress state president has in mind and moreover if the call from high command to contest the elections together comes, then we must go for the alliance without any hiccup.”
However, seat sharing formulae hasn’t been on the agenda yet. Party insiders in Congress suggest that they might get less than 8 seats in the 2024 legislative Assembly elections; however, a message will be sent across that Dalits have come together with the MVA. Prakash Ambedkar is a three-time Member of Parliament (MP) and a grandson of B.R. Ambedkar who was the first Union Minister of Law and Justice. He was a member of the 12th (1998-1999) and 13th (1999-2004) Lok Sabha of India. Ambedkar has twice represented the Lok Sabha constituency of Akola, Maharashtra. Moreover, he has served in both Houses of the Indian Parliament.
The Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh (BBM) was an Indian political party founded by Prakash Ambedkar on 4 July 1994.
The party was a splinter group of the Republican Party of India and had its roots in the Scheduled Castes Federation led by B. R. Ambedkar. BBM was primarily based in Maharashtra.
In 2019, BBM merged into the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi, a new political party founded by Prakash Ambedkar. The party is primarily based in Maharashtra.