Prakash Ambedkar Backs Congress, Criticises Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Camps

Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) chief Prakash Ambedkar on Tuesday expressed his displeasure with Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) for their "unequal attitude" towards his party, and offered support to the third Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) partner - Congress - on seven Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra.

The VBA's proposal to the Congress is not only a "goodwill" gesture, but also an "extension of a friendly hand" for a possible alliance for the future, he said.

Mr Ambedkar wrote a letter to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday, in which he mentioned these points. He also held a press conference in Maharashtra's Akola to explain the issue further.

Mr Ambedkar, the grandson of Dr BR Ambedkar, has earlier announced his candidature for the Lok Sabha from Akola seat as a VBA nominee.

Ambedkar-led VBA has been eyeing to join hands with the three MVA allies - Congress, Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena and Sharad Pawar-helmed NCP (SP) for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. However, the seat-sharing talks with the allies have remained inconclusive so far.

In his letter to Kharge, Mr Ambedkar said, "The schedule of elections has been announced and the MVA has been meeting continuously without inviting the VBA for any discussions or meetings. Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) have refused to listen to the VBA's representatives in the numerous MVA meetings and we have lost faith in both of these parties due to their unequal attitude towards the VBA in the MVA."

"The VBA's prime agenda remains the same - unseat the fascist, divisive, undemocratic BJP-RSS government. With this thought, I have decided to lend VBA's full support to the Congress on seven seats in Maharashtra. We request you to enlist me the names of seven constituencies from the quota allotted to the Congress in the MVA. Our party will lend its complete ground and strategic support to the candidates of your party on these seven seats of your choice," he said.

The proposal from the VBA to the Congress is not only in goodwill, but also an extension of a friendly hand for a possible alliance for the future, Mr Ambedkar said.

Talking to reporters over the issue, he said, "The VBA has not yet received any proposal from the MVA, and we have not accepted the proposal of three seats sent to us previously by the MVA." At present, there is a tug-of-war between the Congress and the Shiv Sena (UBT) over 10 seats. None of the three allies - Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and the NCP (SP) is ready to let go five important seats," Mr Ambedkar claimed.

"The VBA will cooperate with the Congress in seven Lok Sabha constituencies as there is no unity in the MVA itself," he said.

"The Congress had previously fielded a Muslim candidate against me twice in the Akola Lok Sabha seat. This time, if the Congress fields a Muslim candidate against me in Akola, then that party's support will be lost all over the country," he said.

When asked if the VBA will contest all 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra, he said he would wait for the decision by the MVA.

Ambedkar-led VBA had joined hands with the Shiv Sena (UBT) in January 2023.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)