Will you continue with INDIA-MVA post-polls: Prakash Ambedkar to Uddhav Thackeray

Pune (Maharashtra): Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) President Prakash Ambedkar has attempted to raise doubts about Shiv Sena (UBT) President and former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s allegiance to the Maha Vikas Aghadi-INDIA bloc state and national Opposition alliances post-election results, here on Monday.

Ambedkar called upon Thackeray to prove his credentials by giving in writing that he would continue to support the Congress-MVA after the results of the ongoing Lok Sabha 2024 elections are declared in the first week of June.

The VBA chief also asked the Shiv Sena (UBT) to make a formal commitment that it will support and continue the MVA partnership even for the upcoming Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections due in October this year.

“Why can’t Thackeray make this written declaration to the voters now… Let it be clear to the public, otherwise, all this is meaningless,” said Ambedkar, implying differences in the MVA.

Earlier, the VBA chief had indicated that after the election results, the Shiv Sena (UBT) and Nationalist Congress Party (SP) are likely to switch sides with the BJP, which could emerge as the single-largest party.

The VBA, which is contesting independently in at least 45 of the 48 LS constituencies in the state, earlier held several rounds of negotiations for seat-sharing with the MVA allies, Congress-Shiv Sena (UBT)-NCP (SP) and other smaller partners.

However, the talks collapsed over serious reservations among the MVA allies on the number of seats to be allotted to the VBA, which at one point had demanded an equal share of 12 seats from the three main MVA constituents, and its purported strength to contest and win 27 seats on its own.

Despite last-minute efforts for conciliation which failed to fructify, the VBA later opted to go solo and is now contesting around 45 seats in the state. However, it has supported the MVA nominees in Nagpur, Kolhapur and Baramati, and all three are considered 'key contests'.

Last week, Ambedkar slammed the MVA, especially Congress, for not fielding a single Muslim candidate in the LS polls this time, though the VBA has put up a few from the minority community and other deprived sections of society.