Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi (VBA) joined the INDIA bloc on Tuesday, January 9. The move comes after a two-hour meeting of the Congress’ National Alliance Committee with Shiv Sena (UBT) and National Congress Party (NCP) who insisted VBA be included in the alliance as well as the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in Maharashtra.
The decision came after negotiations with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on seat sharing in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Shiv Sena has demanded 23 out of the 48 swats in Maharashtra.
Speaking to reporters, Shiv Sena’s (UBT) Sanjay Raut said, “I want to assure everyone that we will fight elections together. We have no issues in seat sharing,” he said.
Earlier, Ambedkar had written to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray stressing the need to adopt his proposed formula of 12 seats – “12+12+12+12 formula” as a ‘conflict-free’ plan to decide on the number of seat sharing in Maharashtra.
“Recognising the importance of the 48 seats in unseating Modi in 2024 and taking into consideration the indecisiveness regarding seat-sharing within INDIA bloc in important states like Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Bihar, Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi’s (VBA) Maharashtra State Committee proposed a practical and “conflict-free” formula of 12 + 12 + 12 + 12,” the letter said, adding defeating Modi should be the only priority for MVA.
Prakash Ambedkar is the grandson of Baba Saheb Ambedkar and a former Lok Sabha MP.
