The Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) president and B R Ambedkar's grandson Prakash Ambedkar, 68, has always sought to have pursued politics on his own terms in Maharashtra, maintaining a distance from the major parties like the BJP, Congress and even NCP. About one-and-a-half months after announcing his party's pre-poll alliance with the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, Prakash Ambedkar set off fresh speculation about his alliance moves as he held a two-and-a-half-hour meeting with Chief Minister and Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde at the latter's official residence, “Varsha”, in Mumbai on Wednesday night. Amid the buzz that he may switch to the BJP-Shinde camp for the coming elections, Ambedkar said Thursday, "Any alliance between Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena and VBA is possible only if they break ties with BJP," adding that “I have ideological differences with BJP and RSS – we cannot compromise with right-wing parties”. He claimed that he discussed the proposed establishment of Dr B R Ambedkar memorial in Mumbai's Indu Mills during his meeting with the CM. "There is no question of going with BJP," Ambedkar told The Indian Express. "Over the past five decades of my politics I have been the only leader who has been extremely vocal against the right-wing RSS and BJP. I have unrelentingly attacked the Centre on their economic policies and polarisation politics." In the run-up to the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls and the 2024 Lok Sabha and Maharashtra Assembly elections, Ambedkar seems to have kept his alliance options open, leaving the ruling as well as the Opposition camps guessing in a bid to boost his bargaining position vis-a-vis both Senas. The Uddhav Sena is a part of the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), which also comprises of the Congress and NCP. The three-time MP, Ambedkar has always claimed to have championed the cause of Dalits and backward communities. Starting his political career with the Republican Party of India, Ambedkar decided to part ways in the early 1990s following major differences within the rift-ridden party. In 1994, Ambedkar formed his own outfit, Bharip Bahujan Mahasangh (BBM), seeking to reach out to OBCs besides Dalits while broadbasing his socio-political work from Vidarbha to Marathwada. Ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Ambedkar launched the VBA. "We wanted to reach out to poor, oppressed and backwards across caste, communities and religion. We wanted to connect with poor Marathas who have been neglected for long and reeling from serious agricultural and financial crises," Ambedkar said. Despite being the ruling class, only a handful of politically dominant Marathas, roughly 3,500 families, have controlled the state's economy and enjoyed its fruits, he said. The VBA tied up with the AIMIM for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, when their alliance managed to win the lone seat of Aurangabad. It however played the spoiler for the Congress-NCP in about a dozen seats including Nanded, Solapur, Beed, Parbhani, Yavatmal, Gadchiroli- Chimur, Sangli, Akola, Buldhana, Hingoli, Hathkanangli and Aurangabad. Of the total 48 Lok Sabha seats, the BJP won 23, Shiv Sena 18, Congress one, NCP four, AIMIM one and Independent one. The VBA's vote share was 6. 92 per cent. The VBA's alliance with the AIMIM was short-lived as the party went alone to the Assembly polls held a few months later. In the 2019 Assembly polls too, the BJP is said to have won at least 32 Assembly seats due to a division of the “secular votes” between the Congress-NCP and the VBA, which garnered 4.58 per cent of total votes polled. The polls saw the BJP winning 105 seats, Shiv Sena 56, Congress 44, NCP 54, smaller parties/ Independents 29 in the 288-member House. Currently, the VBA however does not have any MPs or MLAs. An advocate by profession, Ambedkar had represented the Akola constituency in the Lok Sabha for two terms during 1998-2004. He had also been a Rajya Sabha member from 1990 to 1996. A politician well-versed in global economy and policy, Ambedkar has friends across party lines. He has been a down-to-earth leader, whose modest office- home at Dadar is accessible to any person. Low-profile party activists and die-hard Ambedkar followers swarm both the places.
