A important political development is the decision of the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), led by Prakash Ambedkar, grandson of B R Ambedkar, to form a pre-election alliance with the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, which is led by Uddhav Thackeray. Their partnership, which some state political circles have dubbed a “alliance of Shiv Shakti and Bhim Shakti,” is likely to affect state politics in the coming days.
For the BJP-led alliance in Maharashtra, the convergence of secular votes from the OBC, Marathas, and Dalits in favour of the MVA will provide a serious challenge. The Maratha against OBC divide has already been used by the BJP to its advantage. The entrenched Congress-NCP politicians have long drawn the majority of Marathas, but the BJP has made a huge effort to win over the OBCs in the state. The Narendra Modi factor gave the BJP a fresh platform in 2014 to increase its appeal to the general public. The BJP, which was allied with the united Sena, was nonetheless able to win 23 of the total 48 Lok Sabha seats as well as 133 of the 288 seats up for grabs in the state Assembly elections.
According to Ambedkar
My party is a voice for the ostracised and underprivileged individuals across all castes, communities, and religions. We are the poor,” he declares, adding that the next BMC elections will test the VBA’s ability to shift votes to its allies anytime it forms an alliance.
Both Ambedkar and Uddhav had recently gathered at the relaunch of a website on Prabodhankar Thackeray, Uddhav’s grandfather, when the latter asked the VBA president to forge an alliance with his Sena to oppose the saffron party. Their camaraderie was also a throwback to the 1950s, when Maharashtra legends Prabodhankar Thackeray and B R Ambedkar teamed up to combat social ills like untouchability, dowry, and casteism. Prakash and Uddhav claimed that their shared objective was to defeat the BJP because they believed it threatened the principles of democracy and the Bhimrao Ambedkar-drafted Constitution.