Alliance in Maharashtra: VBA’s Stance Unclear As Prakash Ambedkar Cites ‘Personal’ Signature

Confusion reined supreme over Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi's stance towards alliance with MahaVikas Aghadi , a tri-party coalition of Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar Faction) and Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray's Shiv Sena.
VBA's official handle on microblogging site x (formerly Twitter) posted two tweets that led to confusion on whether VBA is indeed going to be part of the opposition effort in Maharashtra.

While in the first tweet, VBA president Prakash Ambedkar was quoted as saying he did not consider the signature by Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole in official capacity. "There is no signature of the party president Mallikarjun Kharge in this letter. So I believe this signature (by Patole) is in personal capacity," Ambedkar was quoted as saying.

महाविकास आघाडीच्या पत्रावरील 'ती' सही मी व्यक्तिगत मानतो.

: @Prksh_Ambedkarpic.twitter.com/cranHIw0Xz

— Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi (@VBAforIndia) January 31, 2024

In another tweet, however, Ambedkar was quoted as saying he was committed in fight against the Bharatiya Janata Party and he wouldn't let any personal reason to let this fight get affected. 

केंद्रात पुन्हा भाजपाचे सरकार येणार नाही, यासाठी आम्ही कोणतेही वैयक्तिक कारण किंवा इतर कारण आड येऊ देणार नाही.

: @Prksh_Ambedkarpic.twitter.com/DZ6ZOxhfXZ

— Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi (@VBAforIndia) January 31, 2024

Earlier, Ambedkar has raised serious concerns over the confusion surrounding alliance decisions within the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. He said on one hand the AICC In-charge for Maharashtra, Ramesh Chennithala, publicly declared during a press conference on January 23 that the Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi would be included in the MVA once the Lok Sabha election dates are announced, said Ambedkar in a letter. However, on the other hand, Ambedkar notes that Patole has independently posted an invitation, raising questions about the authenticity of the decision-making process.

However, Ambedkar stated that the VBA is open to attending a meeting if invited by influential figures such as Ramesh Chennithala, Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, or Mallikarjun Kharge. The conditions remain that the invitation must be respectful and carry the signatures of the presidents of the respective parties in the MVA.