Ambedkar-Led VBA Announces Candidates for 142 Maharashtra Seats

Prakash Ambedkar.

(Photo Courtesy: ANI)

The Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), a much-discussed political outfit after its showing in the Lok Sabha elections, on Monday, 30 September, announced its candidates for 142 assembly seats in Maharashtra.

The VBA, a coalition of various social groups, has already expressed its intension to contest all the 288 seats in Maharashtra, which will vote on 21 October.

Speaking to reporters here after announcing the names of 142 candidates, Ambedkar said, "The political front is for everyone and does not belong to any particular family or community.

"We will announce candidates on rest of the seats in the coming days."

The Dalit leader also took potshots at the Congress- NCP combine.

Commenting on the pre-poll alliance between the two main opposition parties, Ambedkar said, "It seems they do not have confidence to win all the seats; hence they are forged an alliance.

“Compared to them, vote share of the VBA significantly increased in the Lok Sabha elections.”

Prakash Ambedkar

The VBA, a recent political phenomenon, had queered the pitch for Congress-NCP candidates in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls in least 10 seats in the state, thereby helping BJP-Sena nominees to emerge victorious in these constituencies.

At that time, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul- Muslimeen (AIMIM) was also part of the VBA.

However, the Hyderabad-based party has since parted ways with the VBA.