Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi, which recently joined hands with Uddhav Thackeray, has now supported rebels against MVA candidate in Chinchwad assembly by election. VBA state president Rekha Thakur has announced this in a press release.
Chinchwad by election is being contested by NCP in MVA. So VBA's support to rebels has come as a shot in the arm for BJP. Meanwhile, VBA has not opened its cards for another Kasaba assembly by election.
BJP vs NCP vs Shiv Sena UBT
Chinchwad assembly by election has three corner fights between BJP, NCP and a Uddhav Thackeray Shiv Sena's rebel. BJP has given ticket to Ashwini Jagtap, widow of deceased MLA Lakshman Jagtap while NCP has given ticket to Nana Kate. Rahul Kalate, a leader of Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena has rebelled and made it a three corner fight.
In its press release while supporting Kalate, VBA has invoked NCP leader Ajit Pawar's early morning swearing in ceremony with BJP's Devendra Fadnavis. It says, "In that early morning swearing in with BJP, Ajit Pawar had cleared that it was his party's decision. Recent statement of Devendra Fadnavis also proved that the alliance was supported by NCP and BJP's senior leadership. Also NCP has never said that it won't go with BJP."
VBA also said that "Rahul Kalate had fought the 2019 assembly elections vigorously and got 1 lakh 12 thousands votes. We were asking to give this seat to Shiv Sena so that Rahul Kalate could contest."
VBA against BJP
This move of VBA will help in division of votes against BJP's Jagtap. But also it will possibly create a rift between NCP and Uddhav Thackeray. VBA's leader Prakash Ambedkar is known for anti NCP politics. NCP leaders were cautious when Thackeray declared his alliance with Shiv Sena. They had not welcomed it wholeheartedly.
Meanwhile, talking about Kasaba Peth, another assembly by poll, VBA said that Congress chief Sonia Gandhi had not requested them for support. So the decision about Kasaba is pending.
