Mumbai (Maharashtra): Prakash Ambdekar of Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi announced on Wednesday the names of eight candidates for the upcoming elections, thus indicating that it would sever its ties with Maha Vikas Aghadi, or MVA, in Maharashtra.
The VBA has not yet formally announced its intention to sever its ties with the MVA in Maharashtra.
VBA said the name of one more candidate for Ramtek would be announced later in the afternoon. The VBA has named candidates for seats like Gadhciroli, Gondiua and Chandrapur where the Congress has already named candidates. The UBT Sena had announced a candidate for Sangli seat on Wednesday.
The names of the candidates were announced following a meeting of the Maharashtra State Committee of the Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi on Tuesday.
"The VBA State Committee has decided not to field a candidate from Nagpur Parliamentary Constituency. VBA will support the candidate of the Indian National Congress from the Nagpur Parliamentary Constituency," the party said in a press release.
With this announcement it is curtains for the expanded Maha Vikas Aghadi with Ambedkar's party contesting outside the alliance that comprises the Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar).
The VBA had been pushing hard to forge an alliance with the MVA to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA in the Lok Sabha elections.
Uddhav faction leader and spokesperson Anand Dubey said, "We had decided to work with the VBA. Everything was okay. Today, by announcing the candidates, has he indicated that he will help the BJP through a backdoor channel. Has he not decided to work as the B Team of the BJP?"
"We are not saying this. The public is asking this question. If our message is to defeat the BJP, then why should we go solo in the elections, " he asked the VBA leadership.
The state will vote in five phases for 48 constituencies in the upcoming general elections.
Lok Sabha Elections 2024 would be held in seven phases, starting on April 19 and ending on June 1. The results will be declared on June 4.
—ANI