Ambedkar rejects Congress offer to contest from Akola LS seat

Maharashtra Democratic Front (MDF) convenor and Bharatiya Republican Party Bahujan Mahasangh (BBM) leader Prakash Ambedkar said here today that he had rejected a Congress offer to contest from the Akola parliamentary seat.
He also declared that the MDF would contest all 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra.
Addressing a press conference, Ambedkar criticised Maharashtra Congress President Manikrao Thakre and Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, saying that the two are not authorised to seal the alliance.
"Even in 2009, the alliance with his party had no authorisation from the Congress central leadership," he said.
Yesterday, Thakre had said that he had written to Ambedkar offering him Congress support for the the Akola seat.

Ambedkar also announced the first list of 13 candidates including himself from Akola. He said that the MDF would contest all six seats in Mumbai and the list of candidates would be declared separately.

He said that the Congress would be out of race after the Lok Sabha results, while the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is already out.
"All seats being contested by the NCP is up for grabs, since the MDF and AAP are seen as an alternatives to NCP candidates," he said.
Ambedkar said that he had proposed an alliance with the AAP, but he got a response saying that the party was willing to tie up with him only in Akola.

"Hence, I rejected the offer," he said.