The Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) on Thursday announced its support for independent candidate Rahul Kalate, while keeping Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) at a distance. VBA had supported Kalate during the 2019 elections too. On this, NCP said ‘it was up to Shiv Sena (UBT) to convince VBA’, while Sena refused to comment on the VBA-Kalate pact.
“The VBA has decided to extend its support to independent candidate Rahul Kalate in the Chinchwad Assembly by-poll. We had supported him in the 2019 Assembly elections too, and secured 1.12 lakh votes. If there is any candidate who can stop BJP, it is Rahul Kalate, and therefore, we (VBA executive committee) has decided to support him,” said state VBA chief Rekha Thakur.
Similarly, the VBA said it will not support the MVA candidate contesting in the Kasba by-poll either, according to party leaders.
VBA has taken the decision primarily on the recent revelation by BJP leader and state Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, that ‘NCP chief Sharad Pawar was aware of his (Fadnavis) and Ajit Pawar’s government formation in 2019’. “NCP leader Ajit Pawar had earlier said that he had support from his party… because of the revelations, the situation within MVA has changed. And since NCP has nowhere stated it will not go with BJP, we have decided to back Kalate,” said Thakur, adding that VBA wanted Shiv Sena (UBT) to contest the Chinchwad seat. “However, it did not happen.”
VBA is in alliance with Shiv Sena (UBT), led by Uddhav Thackeray, and is so far limited to the Mumbai civic body elections.