The Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), led by Dr BR Ambekar's grandson Prakash Ambedkar, did not win any Lok Sabha seat in Maharashtra in the just concluded elections, but impacted the outcome in at least four constituencies in Marathwada, an analysis of the result shows.
After unsuccessful talks for an alliance with the MVA, the VBA fielded its own candidates or backed nominees in most of the 48 Lok Sabha seats in the state.
Aurangabad
In Marathwada's capital Aurangabad (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar), Shiv Sena candidate Sandipanrao Bhumare won by a margin of 1,34,650 votes. He secured 4,76,130 votes, whereas his opponent and sitting MP, Imtiaz Jaleel of the All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), secured 3,41,480 ballots.
In 2019, the VBA had an alliance with the AIMIM which helped Jaleel win the Aurangabad seat though with a narrow margin. However, this time the VBA fielded its candidate Afsar Khan Yaseen Kha, who secured 69,266 votes, but did not directly made any impact on the final result.
In 2019, Jaleel, a journalist-turned-politician, had defeated four-time MP Chandrakant Khaire of the undivided Shiv Sena by a margin of 4,492 votes.
An AIMIM-VBA alliance could have changed the electoral picture in Aurangabad this time, too, said a political analyst.
Beed
In Beed, Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) candidate Bajrang Sonawane won after defeating his nearest rival, BJP nominee Pankaja Munde, by a margin of 6,553 votes after a see-saw battle. VBA candidate Ashok Hinge, who finished in the fourth spot, secured 50,867 votes, while Bahujan Maha Party contestant Ashok Thorat cornered 54,850 ballots.
Hingoli
Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Nagesh Patil Ashtikar won from the Hingoli constituency by defeating Shiv Sena's Baburao Kohalikar by a margin of 1,08,602 votes. Ashtikar secured 4,92,535 votes, Kohlikar got 3,83,933, while VBA candidate Dr BD Chavan bagged 1,61,814 ballots.
Nanded
Congress nominee Vasant Chavan won from Nanded by defeating his nearest rival, BJP candidate Prataprao Chikhalikar, by a margin of 59,442 votes. In this seat in central Maharashtra, Vasant Chavan secured 5,28,894 votes, while Chikhalikar pocketed 4,69,452 votes. VBA candidate Avinash Bhosikar, who finished third, secured 92,512 votes.
In the 2019 polls, Chikhalikar had defeated Congress candidate and former Maharashtra CM Ashok Chavan by 40,148 votes. VBA candidate Yashpal Bhinge had then secured 1,66,196 votes.
After the Lok Sabha poll results were announced, Prakash Ambedkar expressed disappointment over his party's poor show.
"I am disappointed that the party did not win, but I have not lost hope," said the former MP on social media platform X.
"My colleagues and I will introspect about and analyse the causes of our defeat and work on strengthening the party in the coming days," he tweeted.
