Ambedkar Declares 11 Candidates for Assembly Polls

Mumbai:Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi chief Prakash Ambedkar on Saturday announced his party;s first list of candidates for the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections. The list includes 11 candidates, who will contest from the constituencies in Chhatrapati Shambhajinagar, Nagpur and Nanded cities. The other seats include Loha, Shevgaon, Raver, Sindhkhed, Khanapur, Dhamangaon Railway and Washim.

The Election Commission of India is yet to announce Maharashtra assembly elections. However, they are expected to be held in November as the term of the current Assembly is scheduled to end on November 26. The main fight for the Assembly will be between ‘Mahayuti’ alliance, which comprises of BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar’s NCP, and Maha Vikas Aghadi of Congress, Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) and Sharad Pawar’s NCP (SP).

Both alliances have still not finalise their seat sharing formula. However, Mr. Ambedkar’s announcement has confirmed that the election will not be a straight fight between the two main alliances.

Announcing the first candidate list, Mr. Amedkar said, “Staying true to our ideology, we have given representation to the deprived Bahujan groups with the aim of gaining true representation and political power, and breaking the hegemony of families of certain castes.”

Transgender rights activist Shamibha Patil has been named the candidate for the Raver seat, and Kisan Chavan, who belongs to the Pardhi community, has been named from Shevgaon. “This is historic that a transgender has been given candidature,” said Disha Pinki Sheikh, a transgender, who is a spokesperson of the party.

Mr. Ambedkar also announced two candidates from VBA's alliance partners — Bharat Adivasi Party (BAP) and Gondwana Gantantra Party (GGP). Anil Jadhav (BAP) will be the candidate from Chopda seat, which is reserved for the Scheduled Tribes, and Harish Uike (GGP) will contest from the Ramtek seat.

“In the coming days, more names will be announced. We are in touch with some prominent political parties and soon more parties will join our alliance,” Mr. Ambedkar said.

Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections held earlier this year, the VBA had tried to join hands with the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance. However, after their talks failed, Mr. Ambedkar fielded candidates on several Lok Sabha seats, but could not win any.