Lok Sabha Election 2024: Maha Vikas Aghadi Invites Prakash Ambedkar to Discuss Seat-Sharing in Maharashtra

The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has extended an invitation to the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), led by Prakash Ambedkar, on Thursday, January 25, for seat-sharing discussions in Maharashtra ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections. The meeting between the two political entities is scheduled to take place at the Trident Hotel in Mumbai today.

However, on Wednesday evening, the VBA clarified that it would not participate as an 'uninvited guest' in the seat-sharing talks of the Opposition alliance Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). Siddharth Mokale, the spokesperson for VBA, stated that his party had "not yet received a formal invite" for discussions among the MVA allies, which include Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Mokale emphasized, "We have not received any letter or invitation so far… we will not go there until we get an official invite signed by the leaders of all three (MVA) parties," during a media interaction. 

The statement came hours after Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut told the media on Wednesday morning that the VBA has been invited to join the MVA's seat-sharing talks for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Mumbai on Thursday.

मुंबईत आज ट्रायडंट हॅाटेलमध्ये होणाऱ्या महाविकास आघाडीच्या जागा वाटपाच्या बैठकीला वंचित बहुजन आघाडीचे अध्यक्ष ॲड. प्रकाश आंबेडकर यांना निमंत्रित करण्यात आले आहे. हे निमंत्रण ॲड. आंबेडकरांनी स्विकारले तर वंचित बहुजन आघाडी महाविकास आघाडीचा भाग बनेल. pic.twitter.com/eVPetgHK0E

— Ashish Jadhao 🇮🇳 (@ashish_jadhao) January 25, 2024

Contrary to this, the invitation letter shared with VBA highlighted the importance of unity during challenging times, stating, "The country is going through a very difficult period. You yourself have raised your voice strongly against the current dictatorship across the country, including Maharashtra. To protect the country and the Constitution, it is necessary for all like-minded parties to come together and fight against dictatorship. Maharashtra Maha Vikas Aghadi, comprising Congress, Shiv Sena, and Nationalist Congress, have come together and are discussing Lok Sabha seat distribution. Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi is an important component of the state, and I wish everyone to participate in the Rozi discussion on 25th January," as mentioned in the letter.

Ambedkar recently wrote to the Congress on the issue, which has not responded yet, prompting the VBA to warn that it would contest all the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra.