Dalit Leader Ambedkar Claims MVA Alliance Failed Due to Insufficient Seat Offer

Prakash Ambedkar, leader of Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), revealed that negotiations for an electoral alliance with the Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) had broken down due to the meager offer of only two Lok Sabha seats. Ambedkar emphasized VBA's opposition to Narendra Modi's ideology and expressed the view that accepting two seats would have compromised the party's ability to operate effectively.

Dalit Leader Ambedkar Alleges MVA Alliance Breach Due to Insufficient Seat Allocation

Gondia, Maharashtra - Prakash Ambedkar, a prominent Dalit leader and leader of the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), has asserted that negotiations for an electoral alliance between his party and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition fell through due to an insufficient offer of Lok Sabha seats.

At a campaign rally for Sanjay Kewat, VBA's candidate from the Bhandara-Gondiya constituency in eastern Maharashtra, Ambedkar publicly stated that the VBA's overtures to the MVA alliance, comprising the Congress, NCP (SP), and Shiv Sena (UBT), were unsuccessful because the VBA was only offered two Lok Sabha seats.

"We are opposed to the ideology of the Narendra Modi government. Hence, we attempted to forge an alliance with the Maha Vikas Aghadi. However, they offered us only two seats," said Ambedkar, the grandson of the revered Dr. B. R. Ambedkar.

He further elaborated, "If we had accepted the offer and suffered a defeat in the elections, it would have severely impacted our ability to sustain the organization. Therefore, we decided against forming an alliance with them."

Ambedkar maintained that the VBA would benefit from contesting independently and consolidating its strength.

This development comes amidst speculation that the VBA was seeking to form a "third front" ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Ambedkar had previously expressed his reservations about aligning with either the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) or the Indian National Congress (INC), describing them as "two sides of the same coin."

The MVA alliance, which governed Maharashtra from 2019 to 2022, has been negotiating with various parties to broaden its electoral base. However, the VBA's decision not to join the MVA camp is likely to have implications for the electoral landscape in the state.

As the election season heats up, political alignments and alliances will continue to be closely scrutinized, with the outcome having ramifications for the political dynamics of India.