Maharashtra Elections: Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi announces first list of 11 candidates, including a transgender | Mumbai News

The other VBA candidates are: Savita Mundhe from Sindhkhed Raja, Medha Dongare from Washim, Nilesh T Vishwakarma from Dhamangaon Railway, Vinay Bhange from Nagpur South West, Avinash Nanhe from Sakola, Farooq Ahmed from Nanded South, Shiva Narangle from Loha, Vikas Dandge from Aurangabad East, Kisan Chavan from Shevgaon and Sangram Mane from Khanapur.

“Staying true to our sacred ideology, we have provided representation to the disenfranchised Bahujan sections with an aim to gain genuine representation and political power and break the hegemony of caste families,” Ambedkar said while announcing the list. The party has shortlisted candidates from various social communities that have been socially and politically excluded by the mainstream parties and their successive governments, he said.

“More names will be announced in the coming days. We are in touch with very prominent political parties and more parties will join our alliance soon,” Ambedkar said. Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections earlier this year, the VBA tried to join hands with the opposition alliance of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress and NCP (SP). However, talks between them did not progress further. The Ambedkar-led party then contested several seats in the elections on its own but failed to win any.