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Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi announced a list of 16 candidates on Monday ahead of the Assembly elections in Maharashtra.
Among the key candidates announced on Monday are Jagan Devram Sonawane from Bhusawal, Rutuja Chavan from Mehkar, Sugata Waghmare from Murtijapur, and Prashant Sudhir Gole from Risod. The party released its first list of 11 candidates earlier in September this year. VBA National President Prakash Ambedkar said that the party has named candidates from different social communities, which have been socially and politically excluded by the mainstream parties and their successive governments. "Staying true to our sacred ideology, we have given representation to the deprived, Bahujan groups to gain true representation and political power, breaking the hegemony of families of certain castes," Ambedkar said earlier on the list. Among the key names are transgender rights activist Shamibha Patil candidate from Raver seat, and Kisan Chavan, who belongs to the Pardhi community, from Shevgaon assembly seat. "This is historic. A transgender has been given candidature, criteria which the ruling classes like to call "electability", much like their idea of merit," Disha Pinki Sheikh, a transgender, who is a party spokesperson said earlier. Voting for the 288-member legislative assembly in Maharashtra will be held in a single phase on November 20. Counting will be held on November 23. In the recent parliamentary elections, the opposition MVA outperformed the BJP, winning 30 of Maharashtra's 48 seats, while the BJP's tally dropped to 9 from 23 in the previous election. (ANI)
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