Prakash Ambedkar, Asaduddin Owaisi’s MP blame each other for split

NEW DELHI: The Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) and Asaduddin Owaisi-led All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), which had stitched up a Dalit-Muslim alliance in the May Lok Sabha polls in Maharashtra, are now blaming each other for their split ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly polls as they have now decided to fight the polls separately. The alliance had polled over 7.64% votes in the May Lok Sabha polls in the state by denting the social base of the Congress-NCP combine, and handing over a tactical advantage to the BJP and Shiv Sena.

The data of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls in Maharashtra showed that the VBA-AIMIM alliance, even though had won just one seat, marred the prospects of Congress-NCP in around 12 seats when the BJP-Sena combine swept the polls by winning 23 and 18 seats, respectively.

Ambedkar accused AIMIM for breaking their alliance. “The newly appointed AIMIM state president Imtiaz Jaleel has unilaterally slammed the doors on ABV…Though AIMIM chief Owaisi promised to get back to me after discussing the matter internally, but he never did,” Ambedkar told ET.


However, Jaleel, who had won the Aurangabad Lok Sabha seat on an AIMIM ticket with the backing of VBA and since then been appointed the state party chief by Owaisi, claimed that it was Ambedkar’s attitude that broke the alliance.

“The AIMIM had asked for 74 Assembly seats, but Ambedkar has offered us just 8,” said Jaleel.