With VBA in the fray, the battle for Dalit votes gets sharper as Congress and BSP have to rely on their past corporators and MLAs to take up the cudgle. For Congress, its biggest face is MLA Nitin Raut, who is leading the charge for the party. Battling infighiting, Raut is using all his decades of experience to craft a victory for Congress in the 28 seats here. BSP, which had all its corporators from here in the previous House, is also looking to double the score to 20.BJP, riding the momentum of the “double-engine” govt, has launched an aggressive campaign to surpass its 2017 performance of 11 corporators. In this crowded and competitive landscape, VBA’s entry could prove pivotal. Ambedkar’s direct engagement with voters at rallies has led political observers to predict potential gains for both VBA and BJP. “In closely contested wards, BJP may clinch the top spot, while VBA could also open its account in some pockets,” said a Congress member from North Nagpur.Earlier in the day, Ambedkar criticized the BJP for selectively forming alliances with Shinde Sena and Ajit Pawar’s NCP in some municipal corporations while breaking them elsewhere, alleging the strategy aims to weaken or eliminate other political parties. He claimed the ruling side used pressure tactics and blackmail during negotiations and challenged the very existence of political alternatives. He alleged that BJP and the RSS began challenging the very existence of political parties, and said this is why alliances were stitched in some places with Pawar and Shinde.Responding to BJP state president’s remark about “erasing” former chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh’s memory, Ambedkar dismissed it as “foolish,” asserting that no one can erase another’s memories.
