The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in Maharashtra faces a setback as Prakash Ambedkar's Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) opts to contest the 2024 Lok Sabha elections independently.

Prakash Ambedkar announced names of eight candidates and said one for Ramtek will be announced later in the afternoon.

Prakash Ambedkar of the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi has decided to part ways with the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in Maharashtra ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. This decision comes after the VBA issued an ultimatum regarding its demands for seats within the alliance.

During a press conference in Akola, Prakash Ambedkar announced that the VBA will contest the upcoming elections independently and unveiled the names of eight candidates. He also mentioned that a candidate for the Ramtek constituency would be revealed later in the day.

Ambedkar stated that the VBA has formed alliances with community-based organizations such as the OBC Federation and the Maratha community. He criticized the MVA for allegedly disregarding the importance of the Manoj Jarange Patil factor in the alliance and accused the MVA of attempting to exploit the VBA for their own political interests.

The Maha Vikas Aghadi is a coalition comprising the Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, and NCP (Sharad Pawar). Despite efforts from the VBA to collaborate with the MVA and challenge the BJP-led NDA in the elections, differences over seat-sharing and alleged delays led to the VBA's decision to go solo.

Siddharth Mokle, chief spokesperson and state vice president of the VBA, clarified that the party was actively communicating progress on seat-sharing but faced hurdles due to disputes within the MVA over parliamentary constituencies.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the VBA's involvement reportedly impacted the performance of UPA candidates in several constituencies, favoring the NDA's results in places like Nanded, Solapur, Hatkanangale, Beed, Parbhani, and Sangli.