NEW DELHI: Prakash Ambedkar’s Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) has withdrawn from the
Maha Vikas Aghadi
(MVA) alliance and announced that it will contest the upcoming
Lok Sabha elections
independently in Maharashtra. The decision comes after unsuccessful negotiations regarding seat-sharing within the coalition.
VBA announced candidates for eight constituencies.
Among the announced candidates are Prakash Ambedkar for the Akola constituency, Rajendra Salunke for Wardha, Sanjay Kewat for Bhandara-Gondiya, Hitesh Madavi for Gadchiroli-Chimur, Vasant Magar for Buldhana, Kumari Pillewan for Amravati, and Khemsing Pawar for Yavatmal-Washim constituency.
Efforts to reconcile the differences between Prakash Ambedkar and the MVA allies – Congress, NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) and Shiv Sena (UBT) – proved futile as Ambedkar expressed dissatisfaction with what he termed as an “unequal attitude” towards his party.
Prakash Ambedkar announced the termination of VBA’s alliance with Shiv Sena (UBT) on March 23, citing discrepancies in the number of seats officially offered to his party.
Lok Sabha elections will be conducted in five phases between April 19 and May 20, with votes set to be counted on June 4.
(With agency inputs)