Maharashtra: Even As Congress Fields Candidate Against Prakash Ambedkar, Shiv Sena (UBT) Says Interested In Talks With VBA

Congress on Monday (1 April) released its 10th list of Lok Sabha candidates with two names, fielding Dr Abhay Kashinath Patil from Maharashtra's Akola and Kadiyam Kavya from Telangana's Warangal.

This means it fielded a candidate against Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) in Akola, despite the VBA having extended its support to the Congress on two Maharashtra seats -- Kolhapur and Nagpur.

In VBA's first list, party chief Prakash Ambedkar was fielded from Akola and seven other candidates were declared. Then a second list was released on 31 March with 11 names.

This gave a jolt to Shiv Sena (UBT) which has been offering a seat-sharing arrangement to the VBA. However, even after these developments, Shiv Sena (UBT) kept urging VBA for talks.

Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut said, even after its ally in Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), Congress fielded a candidate in Akola, that he is keen to discuss seat-sharing with VBA.

Earlier, VBA was in talks with MVA of Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress and Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). The VBA was offered five seats including Akola, Ramtek and Dhule.

However, the VBA declined the offer and decided to contest the Lok Sabha elections on its own. In the last Lok Sabha elections, most of the VBA came third, while Congress and NCP candidates were second.