Winless VBA impacted result in 7 LS seats in Maharashtra, hit MVA prospects in some of them

Mumbai, Jun 5 (PTI) The Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), led by Dr B R Ambekar's grandson Prakash Ambedkar, did not win any Lok Sabha seat in Maharashtra in the just concluded elections, but impacted the outcome in at least seven constituencies, an analysis of the result shows.

If the VBA had joined the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), some of these seven constituencies could have gone the opposition alliance's way, including Mumbai North West, where the Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate lost by just 48 votes.

After unsuccessful talks for an alliance with the MVA, the VBA fielded its own candidates or backed nominees in most of the 48 Lok Sabha seats in the state.

Ambedkar, a former Lok Sabha MP, himself fought from Akola, but lost. In the past, the 70-year-old Dalit leader has represented Akola in the Lok Sabha two-times.

This time, the VBA leader's entry in the fray made the fight in Akola a triangular contest. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Anup Dhotre, who eventually won, and Congress nominee Abhay Kashinath Patil were the two other prominent contestants in the seat in the Vidarbha region.

Dhotre secured 4,57,030 votes and won with a margin of 40,626 ballots. His nearest opponent, Congress's Patil, bagged 4,16,404 votes, whereas Ambedkar finished third with 2,76,747 votes, impacting the final outcome.

In Aurangabad (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar), Shiv Sena candidate Sandipanrao Bhumare won by a margin of 1,34,650 votes. He secured 4,76,130 votes, whereas his opponent and sitting MP, Imtiaz Jaleel of the All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), secured 3,41,480 ballots.

In 2019, the VBA had an alliance with the AIMIM which helped Jaleel win the Aurangabad seat though with a narrow margin. However, this time the VBA fielded its candidate Afsar Khan Yaseen Kha, who secured 69,266 votes, but did not directly made any impact on the final result.

In 2019, Jaleel, a journalist-turned-politician, had defeated four-time MP Chandrakant Khaire of the undivided Shiv Sena by a margin of 4,492 votes.

An AIMIM-VBA alliance could have changed the electoral picture in Aurangabad this time, too, said a political analyst.

In Beed, Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) candidate Bajrang Sonawane won after defeating his nearest rival, BJP nominee Pankaja Munde, by a margin of 6,553 votes after a see-saw battle. VBA candidate Ashok Hinge, who finished in the fourth spot, secured 50,867 votes, while Bahujan Maha Party contestant Ashok Thorat cornered 54,850 ballots.

Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Nagesh Patil Ashtikar won from the Hingoli constituency by defeating Shiv Sena's Baburao Kohalikar by a margin of 1,08,602 votes. Ashtikar secured 4,92,535 votes, Kohlikar got 3,83,933, while VBA candidate Dr B D Chavan bagged 1,61,814 ballots.

Congress nominee Vasant Chavan won from Nanded by defeating his nearest rival, BJP candidate Prataprao Chikhalikar, by a margin of 59,442 votes. In this seat in central Maharashtra, Vasant Chavan secured 5,28,894 votes, while Chikhalikar pocketed 4,69,452 votes. VBA candidate Avinash Bhosikar, who finished third, secured 92,512 votes.

In the 2019 polls, Chikhalikar had defeated Congress candidate and former Maharashtra CM Ashok Chavan by 40,148 votes. VBA candidate Yashpal Bhinge had then secured 1,66,196 votes.

In Mumbai North West, VBA's Parmeshwar Ranshur finished third with 10,052 votes. In a closely fought election, Shiv Sena candidate Ravindra Waikar trounced Shiv Sena (UBT) nominee Amol Kirtikar by just 48 votes in the constituency.

Waikar secured 4,52,644 votes, whereas Kirtikar got 4,52,596 ballots.

In Shirdi, Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Bhausaheb Wakchaure defeated Shiv Sena nominee and former MP Sadashiv Lokhande by a margin of 50,529 votes. VBA candidate Utkarsha Rupawate secured 90,929 votes and came third place.

In Amaravati, Anandraj Ambedkar, another grandson of Dr B R Ambedkar, contested polls as the candidate of the Republican Sena. Congress candidate Balwant Wankhede, who secured 5,26,271 votes, defeated BJP nominee and sitting MP Navneet Rana by a margin of 19,731 votes.

Anandraj Ambedkar got 18,793 votes and finished in the fourth place, whereas Prahar Jan Shakti Party candidate Dinesh Bub secured the third spot with 85,300 votes.

After the Lok Sabha poll results were announced, Prakash Ambedkar expressed disappointment over his party's poor show.

"I am disappointed that the party did not win, but I have not lost hope,” said the former MP on social media platform X.

"My colleagues and I will introspect about and analyse the causes of our defeat and work on strengthening the party in the coming days," he tweeted. PTI DC RSY