Prakash Ambedkar’s VBA to contest Lok Sabha polls alone in Maharashtra, announces eight candidates

The party, however, said that it would support the Congress’ candidate for the Nagpur seat.

Mar 27, 2024 - 14:00

Prakash Ambedkar’s VBA to contest Lok Sabha polls alone in Maharashtra, announces eight candidates

The Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi on Wednesday released its list of eight candidates for the Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra, indicating that the Prakash Ambedkar-led party will not join the state’s Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance.

The Maha Vikas Aghadi, which was formed after the 2019 Assembly elections, mainly comprises Uddhav Thackeray’s faction of the Shiv Sena, the Congress and the Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party group.

However, the Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi on Wednesday said that it would support the Congress’ candidate for the Nagpur Lok Sabha seat. Ambedkar, who is the grandson of Bhimrao Ambedkar, will contest from the Akola constituency.

Earlier in the day, Prakash Ambedkar had announced an alliance with activist Manoj Jarange-Patil, who has led an agitation demanding reservations in education and government jobs for the Maratha community under the Other Backward Classes category, The Hindu reported.

The Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi is pleased to declare its first list of candidates from Maharashtra for the Lok Sabha elections.

• The VBA State Committee has decided to support the candidate of Indian National Congress from Nagpur

• The VBA State Committee has decided to… pic.twitter.com/gAkaAzudy7— Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi (@VBAforIndia) March 27, 2024

In January, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) MP Sanjay Raut had announced the induction of the Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi into the Maha Vikas Aghadi.

On March 19, the Prakash...