Mumbai: It’s now official. The Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray and Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi will form an alliance in the upcoming BMC elections.
Shiv Shakti-Bhim Shakti alliance
This was confirmed by the state VBA president Rekha Thakur. It will be another attempt to project a tie-up between Shiv Shakti and Bhim Shakti in a bid to take on BJP and Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena.
Ms Thakur said, “Two meetings have been held with Shiv Sena UBT leader Subhash Desai and we are ready to form an alliance.” She further added that VBA state committee member Mahend Rokade, Mumbai region president Abul Hassan and the regional president Nilesh Vishwakarma had a meeting with Shiv Sena UBT leader Subhash Desai and other leaders. These meetings were positive. After that, the Shiv Sena UBT has given its consent for the alliance.”
According to Ms Thakur, Mr Desai had met Mr Ambedkar and reiterated that two meetings took place between the two to discuss the modalities of the proposed alliance.
However, Ms Thakur said that the party has asked the Shiv Sena UBT to clarify whether it will contest the upcoming BMC elections with the Maha Vikas Aghadi partners NCP and Shiv Sena and also with VBA or whether it will contest in an alliance only with the VBA. “Once the Shiv Sena UBT conveys its stand in this regard, the next round of talks will begin,” she added.
Mr Thackeray had said, “Today we have come together on one platform for the first time. Our ideological platform is the same. So we have no problem coming together. It will not come as expected by the people.We have come forward with the legacy of both ideas.”
On his part, Mr Ambedkar without naming BJP claimed that the country is being taken from democracy to dictatorship. ''It's time for everyone to decide whether they want democracy or dictatorship,'' he noted while dropping hints about a possible alliance between the two parties.
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