Prakash Ambedkar has alleged that the Congress paid a heavy price for taking minority votes for granted, arguing that its failure to fully embrace an alliance with the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) weakened its electoral prospects in key civic elections.
Although the Congress had entered into an alliance with the Ambedkar-led VBA for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections—where it won 24 seats—remarks made by Ambedkar during the campaign period have once again come into focus in the aftermath of the results.
Ambedkar said he had repeatedly cautioned the Congress against treating Muslim votes as its “inherited property,” a mistake he believes was reflected in the electoral outcome. “Muslim voters moved away from the Congress, while Hindu voters had already done so earlier. The Congress councillors who won did so on their own individual strength and merit,” he said.
He also accused the party of ignoring strategic advice offered by the VBA leadership. According to Ambedkar, repeated suggestions to organise a large public rally were brushed aside. “A mass meeting would have sent a strong message on the ground and benefited the alliance. Unfortunately, our advice was not taken,” he said.
Citing the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar municipal elections, Ambedkar said the Congress’s decision to contest independently proved costly. “The Congress could win only one seat there. On the seats where they argued with us and chose to fight alone, their performance was extremely poor,” he said. He claimed that had the alliance remained intact, it could have won 40 to 42 seats, evenly split between the two partners.
In the 115-member Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Municipal Corporation, the BJP emerged as the single largest party with 58 seats. The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena secured 12 seats, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena faction won six, while the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena managed just one. The biggest surprise came from the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), which won 33 seats, dealing a significant blow to other parties. Four seats went to independents and smaller groups.
The Congress suffered heavy losses in constituencies where the BJP and AIMIM made deep inroads. The VBA, too, failed to make a major breakthrough. Ambedkar argued that a Congress–VBA alliance could have posed a much stiffer challenge to AIMIM.
Looking ahead to the district council elections scheduled for February 5, Ambedkar said the VBA would contest on a large scale and expressed hope that the Congress would join hands with his party. “As per our understanding, both parties should fight the elections together,” he said.
Ambedkar also alleged that the BJP has extended its influence across other political formations, effectively tightening its grip on the political landscape. He added that the VBA’s performance in municipal corporation elections across Maharashtra had strengthened its standing in the state’s urban politics.
