26 March,2024 07:08 AM IST | Mumbai | Dharmendra Jore
VBA chief Prakash Ambedkar; (right) Shiv Sena (UBT) chief spokesperson Sanjay Raut
The Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) may have snapped ties with its pre-poll partner the Shiv Sena (UBT), but it still expects the INDIA bloc's other constituents to accommodate it in the Opposition group. VBA chief Prakash Ambedkar has given the parties in Opposition a deadline of March 26 (today) for his party's induction.
Sena (UBT) chief spokesperson Sanjay Raut termed the development as unfortunate, but said that the Sena and its allies were confident of turning the tables on the BJP-led alliance even without VBA. "But our victory would be grandest with the VBA," he told reporters on Monday.
Ambedkar and Raut have exchanged barbs in recent times. The VBA chief had accused Raut of lying about the number of seats the MVA had offered his party. Unlike other exchanges he had been part of, Raut has been sedate in responding to Ambedkar. He said on Monday that the MVA was still expecting the VBA to be part of the mahaaghadi.
Recalling the VBA-Sena alliance, Raut also said the parties finalised the pact a year ago, but then the Lok Sabha election wasn't on their agenda. "With regards to the Lok Sabha elections, we have discussed seat-sharing with VBA frequently and offered it four seats that it had asked for. The offer is good and Ambedkar should have accepted it. But we are still hopeful," he added.
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On the other hand, Ambedkar's statements on Sunday and Monday indicated that he perceived the MVA as the real spoiler though the impression was being given that he was unreasonable and rejected all offers.
"The MVA did not offer us four seats, but three. We will announce our position on March 26," he said while suggesting that there could be another group of smaller Opposition parties coming up.
"Let the MVA partners decide on their seat-sharing issues. If they don't, how can I ask them for our share?" he said, adding that he would be filing his nomination from Akola on Wednesday (March 27).
Meanwhile, the MVA partners got together on Monday night to sort out seat-sharing issues. Raut said his party would announce at least 15 candidates today.
March 27
Day Prakash Ambedkar will file nomination from Ahola
