Swabhimani Paksha chief Raju Shetti has urged the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) to expedite efforts to bring on board Prakash Ambedkar’s Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) and Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) for an alliance to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena in the Assembly elections.
Speaking to The Hindu , Mr. Shetti said that the seat-sharing arrangements between ‘like-minded’ opposition parties ought to be finalised by the end of the first week of August to give party workers enough time to hit the campaign trail.
“While I have had discussions with the Congress and the NCP leadership in Mumbai, it is imperative they come to a decision soon, within a fortnight, and not delay any further. Also, both these big parties must take the lead in holding talks with the MNS and VBA if they indeed want a united opposition to defeat the BJP-Sena in the Assembly elections,” he said.
Confident that the rout in the Lok Sabha polls inflicted by the BJP-Sena on the Congress-NCP coalition and their allies could still be reversed, Mr. Shetti stressed that speed in forming alliances and clarity on future seat-sharing arrangements was vital.
Mr. Shetti, a former two-time MP from Hatkanangale who suffered a major upset in the general election this time, said that the Swabhimani Paksha was ready to contest 50 Assembly seats if an alliance of opposition parties was not forged.
With the polls a little more than a couple of months away, pre-poll alliances are in a fluid state in both camps.
While the Congress and the NCP and other smaller parties are yet to get their act together, there are rumblings that all is not quite well in the BJP-Sena camp as well.
Meanwhile, newly-appointed Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) chief BalasahebThorat said that the Congress was disposed towards taking the VBA along in the polls.
“In the Lok Sabha elections, the VBA played spoilsport [for the Congress] on at least nine constituencies. This time, we are keen on taking with us all progressive parties,” said Mr. Thorat speaking in Shirdi in Ahmednagar district on Sunday.
At the same time, he said the party was divided on joining hands with Mr. Thackeray’s MNS.
The MNS chief had campaigned vigorously for the Congress-NCP alliance in the run up to the Lok Sabha elections.
While Mr. Thackeray’s rallies did draw large crowds, it failed to translate into votes, said Mr. Thorat, adding that Congress had received no proposal from the MNS yet regarding an alliance.
According to sources, while the MPCC was intent on bringing the MNS aboard, the Mumbai Congress was opposed to the idea.
Mr. Ambedkar, whose VBA had queered the pitch for the Congress-NCP in the general election, has said he would only discuss the matters of alliance with the Congress high command and not with the party’s State leadership.
It is unlikely that the Congress’ talks with Mr. Ambedkar will come to fruition as the latter is not inclined to part ways with the Asaduddin Owaisi-led All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), the VBA’s major ally.
In such a scenarion the VBA will contest all 288 seats with the AIMIM staking claim to 100 Assembly seats, and has begun preparations in earnest.
