Mumbai: The Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) led by Prakash Ambedkar has decided to contest on 150 seats in the BMC elections, with focus on migrants, particularly from the scheduled castes (SC) and nomadic tribes (NT). The VBA so far has denied any alliance with the Congress party in Mumbai and Maharashtra.
Focus on Dalit, NT Migrant Voters
"There are 32% Marathi voters in Mumbai, of which about 40% are Dalits and NT. There two forces are not going to vote for Uddhav Thackeray led Shiv Sena. There is another 15% migrants, including from other states, who are from SC category. We are going to focus on this two section of voters in Mumbai," Ambedkar said speaking with the Free Press Journal on Friday.
Alliance Decision After December 21
Ambedkar clarified that the reports of VBA's decision to contest municipal elections in alliance with the Congress are false, and decision will be taken only December 21, once the results for municipal councils and nagar panchayat's are declared.
VBA’s Past Presence in BMC
The VBA had not contested the last BMC elections held in 2017. "Although we did not contest last BMC elections, in the past we have had four to five corporators," he said.
Failed Alliance Talks With MVA
In the Lok Sabha and Maharashtra assembly elections held last year, VBA had aggressive talks with the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), particularly with the Congress for alliance. However, both the Lok Sabha and seats assembly elections the party went solo as the talks of alliance failed to come to any agreement.
Dalit Outreach Despite Electoral Loss
Although it did not win any seats, but managed to woo Dalit voters.
Criticism of Sena–MNS Tie-Up
In a recent press conference, the VBA chief criticised the Shiv Sena (UBT) for aligning with the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, saying it has hurt the party’s political credibility. He stressed the need to build a strong anti-BJP front.
BMC Polls Scheduled January 15
The voting for 29 municipal corporations, including that for 227 seats of the BMC will be held on January 15.
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