Gavai breaks away from Third Front

Our differences started when Athawale promised six seats to Paswans party. My contention was that when R S Diwakar,the Bihar state RPI chief,had approached Paswan for allocating seats to the Republican Party of India candidates in the last Bihar Assembly elections,Paswan had refused to allot a single seat, Gavai told The Indian Express. However,I didnt drag the issue much in the interest of the RLDF.

Claiming there was no pressure from the Congress for him to quit the front,he said,I will be contesting 15 seats in Vidarbha. And in the rest of the Assembly constituencies I want to support the Third Front.

However,Athawale said,The Congress may have pressured him for obvious reasons. His father R S Gavai is Governor of Kerala.

Athawale claimed that Gavais exit would not make any difference to the RLDF,as Dalits were in favour of a united RPI and would vote for the front.