Uddhav, Prakash Ambedkar announce 'Shiv Shakti-Bhim Shakti' alliance to jointly fight Lok Sabha elections

On a significant day in the political history of Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena group headed by Uddhav Thackeray and Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi founder Prakash Ambedkar came together under one umbrella to forge an alliance in the run-up to the local bodies polls in Maharashtra and the 2024 Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections.

Thackeray is the son of late Balasaheb Thackeray and grandson of Prabodhankar Thackeray, the legendary social reformer while Ambedkar is the grandson of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, the chief architect of the Constitution.

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The coming together of the Thackeray and Ambedkar families is to further the ‘Shiv Shakti-Bhim Shakti’ alliance propagated by the late Balasaheb.

Shiv Sena’s Maha Vikas Aghadi partners - the Sharad Pawar-led NCP and Congress - are yet to open up on Thackeray’s move, which of course was in the offing for the last couple of months.

However, both Thackeray and Ambedkar hoped that “good things” will fall in place.

When pointed out that in the 2018 Lok Sabha and Assembly polls, the VBA had damaged the prospects, Thackeray said, “In 2019, you say that he (Ambedkar) dented the Congress and NCP, but in fact, we (Shiv Sena) fought against them. Now it's all about ‘naya raasta, naya rishta’.”

When asked about the Shiv Sena’s relationship with Congress-NCP in the wake of the new alliance, Thackeray said, “In 2019, people said that the Shiv Sena and NCP can’t go together. But the fact remains that Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress ran the MVA successfully for two-and-a-half years.”

About the MVA, Ambedkar said, “My relationship with Sharad Pawar is known. We hope that good things will follow.”

Thackeray and Ambedkar hoped that the Opposition parties must unite to take on the BJP. “People must realise that we are heading for dictatorship,” added Ambedkar.