Ahead of the Mumbai municipal elections and coinciding with the birth anniversary of late Bal Thackeray, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) president Prakash Ambedkar held a joint press conference on Monday, 23 January, to formally announce the alliance of the two parties.
The parties will contest upcoming municipality elections as well as 2024 Lok Sabha and Maharashtra assembly elections together.
The alliance between Shiv Sena (UBT) and VBA is being dubbed as coming together of Shiv Shakti and Bhim Shakti – 'Shiv' standing for 17th-century Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Shivaji and 'Bhim' referring to Dr BR Ambedkar.
"From the point of view of the state and the country, we are taking an important step and that is, the coming together of Shiv Shakti and Bhim Shakti," Thackeray said in the press conference.
The alliance has generated curiosity among observers as Hindutva politics and Ambedkarism are considered opposing ideologies. Ambedkar, in his political career spanning about three decades, has often taken principled stance against Hindutva and has also been highly critical of Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray in the past.
'I Hope Sharad Pawar Will Join Us': Prakash Ambedkar
As far as political arithmetic goes, the VBA allying with Maha Vikas Aghadi can boost the Dalit vote share of the opposition parties. However, whether the VBA will be a part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi or will only share seats from Shiv Sena (UBT)'s quota, is yet to be decided.
Earlier when Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar was asked about the alliance between Shiv Sena (UBT) and VBA, he had said, "I don't know anything about it. I don't get into these things."
Ambedkar responded to Pawar's statement in Monday's press conference, saying,
"I read Sharad Pawar's statement today. Our feud is old. It's not a farm fight, it's a fight between leaders, it's a fight about (political) direction. I hope he will join us."
Uddhav Thackeray has tried Shiv Shakti - Bhim Shakti experiment in the past too. In 2011, as executive president of Shiv Sena, he had taken lead in allying with Ramdas Athawale's Republican Party of India (A), which now remains an ally of the BJP.
Recently, Maharashtra Chief Minister and leader of Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena, Eknath Shinde, declared his alliance with Jogendra Kawade's People's Republican Party – another Ambedkarite party in Maharashtra politics.
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