Mumbai: Maharashtra’s Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) likely to form an alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for contesting the legislative elections scheduled next month.
Speaking to the Free Press Journal, AAP’s national spokesperson and state chief Preeti Sharma Menon confirmed initial talks are on between both the parties and there will be an official announcement soon after the parties come into agreement and take a final call.
She informed, AAP neither support the BJP and Shiv Sena’s extreme Hindutva fanaticism nor they stand by the corrupt record of the Congressmen.
“There is commonality of core values between VBA and AAP, hence we decided to form the alliance, the state requires non corrupt work force with secular mindset to uplift betterment,” stated Menon.
Since the last few weeks, there has been a number of meetings between, Menon and VBA chief Prakash Ambedkar. An AAP party official further informed, the party will contest in not more than 50 seats from the urban constituencies as the stronghold of the party lies among the urban pockets.
VBA’s spokesperson Dr Arun Sawant also clarified the speculations citing, there has been initial talks on the formation of an alliance with AAP. The primary agenda of the alliance is to launch an alternative to the people of Maharashtra.
Since BJP’s land sliding victory at the Lok Sabha elections, horse trading increased on the state’s polity. Number of leaders from the leading opposition allies – Congress and National Congress Party (NCP) – joined the saffron brigade.
“The leaders of Congress and NCP are now in BJP. People of Maharashtra deserve to get a healthy alternative and a chance to elect people who will serve the governed,” said Subhash Tanwar, a state leader of the VBA.
Earlier the VBA was on alliance with the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) which was called off by AIMIM’s state chief Imtiaz Jaleel.
However, Jaleel said on Sunday a rethink on the alliance ahead of the Maharashtra assmebly polls was possible only if VBA chief Prakash Ambedkar reaches out to Asaduddin Owaisi and shows flexibility in the seat sharing.
Earlier Ambedkar disregarded the Congress saying his party will not form an alliance with the latter as there is minimum democracy in the alliance due to the authoritarianism imposed by congress within the other parties of the alliance.
