India, Dec. 31 -- It is for the first time that Prakash Ambedkar, 71, grandson of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar and chief of the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), forged an alliance with Congress for the BMC elections. In the past, the party had aligned with the Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM and Shiv Sena (UBT), both of which lasted for brief spells.

During the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, votes bagged by the VBA was regarded as one of the reasons for Congress's failure in Maharashtra. Ambedkar's party however failed to notch up the numbers in the last Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.

While a Congress-VBA tie failed to materialise on many occasions in the past, their recent alliance for the crucial BMC elections has added a third angle to the battle bet...