Pune Bypoll Election: VBA to support Sena rebel in Chinchwad by poll

Mumbai: The Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) which recently joined hands with Uddhav Thackeray has now extended support to a rebel leader against the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) candidate in the Chinchwad assembly by election, party state president Rekha Thakur announced.

The Chinchwad by election is being contested by NCP (part of the MVA), so VBA's support to the rebel has come as a shot in the arm for the BJP. However, the VBA has not yet opened its cards for the Kasaba assembly by election.

The three-way contest

The Chinchwad assembly by election is a three-way contest between the BJP, NCP and a Uddhav Thackeray Shiv Sena rebel. The BJP has given a ticket to Ashwini Jagtap – widow of deceased MLA Lakshman Jagtap – while the NCP ticket has gone to Nana Kate. Rahul Kalate – a leader of Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena – rebelled, making it a three-way fight. In its press release supporting Kalate, the VBA said he had fought the 2019 assembly elections vigorously and got 1.12 lakh votes.

This move will result in the division of votes against BJP's Jagtap. Also, it is likely to create a rift between the NCP and Uddhav Thackeray. VBA leader Prakash Ambedkar is known for anti-NCP politics. NCP leaders were cautious when Thackeray declared his alliance with VBA. They had not welcomed it wholeheartedly.

Meanwhile, talking about Kasaba Peth – another assembly by poll – the VBA said Congress chief Sonia Gandhi had not requested them for support. So the decision regarding Kasaba is pending.