Ambedkar's Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi keeps opposition MVA guessing over Maharashtra alliance

Prakash Ambedkar of the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) is keeping the Maharashtra opposition guessing as to whether he will join their alliance. Ambedkar has put out a video asking his cadres not to be present at the meeting of the Maha Vikas Aghadi without the nod of the party leadership as the seat-sharing talks have not been completed yet.

To complicate things further, Ambedkar has unilaterally declared its candidates in three Lok Sabha seats. VBA has declared that Ambedkar would contest from Akola Lok Sabha seat, whereas Rajendra Salunkhe and Chandrahar Patil would contest from Wardha and Sangli respectively. While the MVA alliance of Congress, NCP (Sharad Pawar) and the Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray Sena had already resolved to give the Akola seat to VBA, Ambedkar declaring three seats unilaterally is a cause of concern for the MVA alliance. The MVA is at best willing to give a maximum of two seats. "We (MVA) leaders are going to be meeting soon and we are hopeful that by March 5 or 6, all these issues will be resolved," said Vijay Wadettiwar, Congress Leader of Opposition.