Congress ready to back Prakash Ambedkar for Lok Sabha polls, but conditions apply

Congress President Gandhi

The Maharashtra unit of Congress on October 15 said it was ready to support Prakash Ambedkar-led Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh (BBM) in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, according to a report by The Indian Express.

“It is true that the Congress is ready to support Prakash Ambedkar if he chooses to contest next year’s parliamentary election,” Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant told the newspaper. Discussions with Ambedkar’s party are underway and Congress is hopeful of striking an alliance, Sawant added.

Ambedkar has reportedly demanded 12 seats in next year's Lok Sabha elections. However, Sawant said the decision would be taken during discussions 'at the state and highest level'. “We are sure something positive will come out,” he added.

Alliance if Ambedkar cuts ties with OwaisiThe Congress has, however, said an alliance with BBM would require Ambedkar to cut off ties with Asaduddin Owaisi-led All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (AIMIM).

“We consider AIMIM as the B-team of the BJP and therefore any alliance with Ambedkar’s party will not be possible if they joins hands with AIMIM,” the Congress leader said.

Ambedkar has reportedly said that he is willing to ally with the Congress to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), but would not have anything to do with Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). The BBM leader had said he would only tie-up with Congress if AIMIM could go along.

AIMIM and BBM have announced an alliance for the Lok Sabha and Maharashtra Assembly polls in 2019. The two parties held a joint rally in Aurangabad on October 2.

Following the announcement of a tie-up between BBM and AIMIM, Congress and NCP had also initiated talks with Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Samajwadi Party (SP).

Congress and NCP were in an alliance in Maharashtra from 1999 to 2014, when they snapped ties ahead of the assembly polls. The two parties are already holding talks to finalise their seat sharing.

In the 2014 Maharashtra Assembly polls, AIMIM and BBM had won two seats and one seat, respectively. However, they had garnered 13.16 percent and 3.64 percent vote share, respectively, in the seats they contested.

While the 2019 Lok Sabha polls are expected to happen in April-May, Maharashtra is expected to head for assembly polls in October-November next year.

With 48 parliamentary constituencies, Maharashtra has the second largest pool of Lok Sabha seats.