The BRP-Bahujan Mahas-angh leader Prakash Ambedkar is ready to go with the Congress in Maharashtra in the coming Lok Sabha elections.
Mr Ambedkar, the grandson of Bharat Ratna Dr B.R. Ambedkar, was earlier elected to the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.
Maharashtra chief minister Prathviraj Chavan, PCC president Manikrao Thakre, former chief minister Ashok Chavan are said to be keen to ally with him but the AICC has yet to take a formal decision in this regard.
When contacted, Mr Ambedkar on Monday said “Yes, I am for the alliance with the Congress.”
Maratha-Muslim-dalit have been the political constituency of the Congress-NCP combine. But Ramdas Athavale’s RPI faction shi-fted to the Shiv Sena-BJP combine. This could make a dent in the Congress’ support base among dalits.
Mr Athavale, the former chief of the Dalit Panther, deserted the Congress-NCP following his defeat in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections and has been working for the unity of the “Shiv Shakti-Bhim Shakti”.
The OBCs, non-Marathas and upper castes have already moved closer to the saffron combine besides urban people.
On the other hand, brahmins have realised that they have no place in the Congress which has not made a single brahmin either a legislator or a member of Parliament in this premier state.
A six-member sub-group of the AICC on pre-poll alliance held its first meeting here recently. The group headed by senior leader Mr A.K. Antony constitutes Mr M. Veerappa Moily, Mr Mukul Wasnik, Mr Suresh Pachouri, Mr Jitendra Singh and Mr Mohan Prakash.
The Congress had won 40 of the total 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra in 1998 Lok Sabha elections at a time when the Shiv Sena-BJP combine was in power.