Prakash Ambedkar's VBA to fight on all state Assembly seats

Mumbai: Going by the exit polls, the indications are that the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), the coalition led by Prakash Ambedkar and Asaduddin Owaisi, has hurt the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) badly in many constituencies in Maharashtra. If indications prove right, there will be a bigger challenge for the Opposition parties in the state Assembly elections, which will be taking place in six months’ time. Even before the Lok Sabha election results are out, Mr Ambedkar Monday declared that his coalition will contest all 288 Assembly seats in Maharashtra. He even announced the name of Amit Bhuigal as the party’s candidate from the Aurangabad west Assembly seat. The remaining 287 candidates would be announced in due course of time, he said.

A press note issued by the party has warned workers not to voluntarily declare their names as candidates for the state Assembly seats. It has said that if anyone is found violating this warning, action will be taken against him or her. The party wants to have experienced and successful candidates in the Assembly and there are many experienced leaders and workers keen to join the party which is why advocate Balasaheb Ambedkar will take all decisions about candidates.

The party has appealed everybody to stay loyal to advocate Ambedkar as he wants to have representatives who will protect democracy and socialism. The note has reiterated that no party worker will attend meetings of any other party else action will be taken against them as per the January 1, 2019 decision taken at Pune. The party has already declared one candidate for the state Assembly election.

During the Lok Sabha elections in the state, the VBA fielded 48 candidates, including one on an AIMIM ticket in Aurangabad.

Many labeled Mr Ambedkar’s experiment as the B team of the BJP. But Mr Ambedkar clarified his stand from time to time, saying that the Congress had for years taken dalit voters for granted and now when the dalits, oppressed, scheduled and nomadic tribes were coming together as a show of strength, it was targeting the experiment rather than doing some introspection of its own policies.

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