Prakash Ambedkar says he didn’t discuss VBA’s MVA entry with Sharad Pawar

“There was no discussion regarding MVA and VBA during our meeting,” Ambedkar told The Indian Express.

In Amravati on Sunday, Pawar said he had recently met Ambedkar in connection with Karnataka elections. “Prakash Ambedkar’s party and the NCP are fighting some seats in Karnataka. We meet in connection with the elections…,” Pawar said.

Ambedkar also said they met but it was only about the Karnataka elections. “Pawar wanted some information from me regarding Karnataka elections…That’s why we met. Otherwise, we keep talking over the phone…We must have met for 5-10 minutes,” he said.

Asked whether it was their first meeting after a long time, Ambedkar said,”That’s not true. We have met in the past, especially in Parliament,” he said.

The VBA has teamed up with Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena for Mumbai civic body polls. However, uncertainty prevails over the VBA’s entry into the MVA. While the NCP is not against the VBA’s entry into MVA, the Congress was not keen on taking VBA onboard.

Congress spokesperson Atul Londhe said the meeting between Pawar and Ambedkar augured well for the MVA. “We are making all efforts to get all Opposition parties together. To save our Constitution and democracy, all like-minded parties need to come together. In this backdrop, the meeting between the two leaders is a positive development for the MVA…,” said Londhe.

Asked whether the Congress was against the VBA’s entry into the MVA, Londhe said, “We were never against the VBA joining hands with the MVA. If the VBA joins hands with the MVA, it will be a major booster.”

Meanwhile, Prakash Margale, treasurer of the Madhyavarthi Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti, said,”The MES has invited leaders of all political parties to campaign for our candidates. The invitations have already been sent to them. The political parties from Maharashtra should not contest from the seat in which our candidates are contesting. They should support our candidates.”