As the alliance talks continue between Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi’s (VBA) chief Prakash Ambedkar and Maharashtra Vikas Agadhi (MVA) over seat sharing, there are indications from party insiders that the alliance talks are difficult to materialise due to number of conditions set by Ambedkar.
However a senior leader said, “He is seeking two seats in Mumbai, where there are six Lok Sabha constituencies. Uddhav led Shiv Sena had won four seats from there so they will be given those seats. Remaining two seats would have been the share of Congress but MVA is contemplating to give Prakash one seat there. We have agreed to give them four seats already but two more could be given to Ambedkar if he choses to stay in the opposition alliance.”
Yet top sources claim that there may have been backdoor dealings with the BJP which could lead him to eventually pull out of talks and contest alone. Moreover, the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi, which carries a substantial amount of Dalit support in Maharashtra, has said they are not willing to take a call on joining the Maha Vikas Aghadi unless it gets its act together. In an interview to a media channel, VBA chief Prakash Ambedkar said, “The alliance is still undecided over a handful of seats. The VBA would not open cards till the MVA takes a call on these seats.”
He added, “They (the MVA) had an understanding on some seats. We asked for that data. There are 15 constituencies in which seat sharing has not taken place. Contentious are 10 seats between Congress and Sena, 5 among all three parties. Unless they decide on these seats, we won’t open our cards.”
Such a seperation (if VBA contests alone) is seen to result in damage in vote share of MVA. However the leaders who are in talks with him are of impression that Ambedkar has an intent to partner up for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and has been positively involved in negotiations. Congress spokesperson in Maharashtra Yuvraj Mohite told The Sunday Guardian, “He is saying that he has to come into the Alliance and this time there are more initiatives taken from his side. He also wants to step into the INDIA bloc’s opposition formation. And INDIA Aghadi people from the beginning where positive about his partnership but what happens is there is dilly darling with the seat sharing.
So what he is being suggested is to take less seat and concentrate more on such seats.”
A political analyst based in Maharashtra said, “To some extent it is beforehand assumed that the alliance may not materialize. Because Prakash Ambedkar has kept so many conditions in case of alliance. There is difficulty in handling his needs but MVA wants to include him as a partner. Because last time he had damaged the Congress-NCP alliance on 11 seats. Which means their vote share was more than the defeat margin of Congress-NCP candidates on 11 seats. He had also polled more than seven percent vote share then. That makes him a force to be taken care of by the opposition that is trying to defeat the saffron camp.”