RPI (A) Denied Seat in Maharashtra Assembly Election, Says Party Chief Ramdas Athawale

MUMBAI, 14th OCTOBER, 2024 (GPN): The Republican Party of India – Athawale (RPI-A), part of the Mahayuti alliance, has demanded 12 seats to contest in the upcoming Maharashtra Legislative Elections. Failure to allocate these seats will result in the party refraining from campaigning in the elections, Maharashtra State Organizer Parshuram Wadekar warned. He also specifically demanded the Pune Cantonment Constituency as one of the 12 seats.

Speaking to the GPN Media today in Pune, ahead of the upcoming Legislative Assembly Elections, Wadekar expressed dissatisfaction with the alliance. He explained how Union Minister of State, Ramdas Athawale, had allied with political parties opposed to the ideology of the Ambedkar movement, believing that compromise was necessary to gain power. However, over the past 15 years, the leaders and activists of the movement have benefited less from this decision, while the BJP has gained more. This has led to growing discontent within the Ambedkarite community.

Wadekar also pointed out that the RPI did not get an opportunity in the Lok Sabha elections. Consequently, the party is now demanding at least 12 seats in the Legislative Assembly Elections. He further explained that the Pune Cantonment Assembly Constituency is reserved for Scheduled Castes, and the Ambedkarite community’s votes are decisive there. If the BJP nominates an RPI candidate from the Ambedkar movement, it will send a positive message to the community about the Mahayuti. Wadekar claimed that this move would significantly benefit the alliance in the Pune district and western Maharashtra.

RPI Ready to Compromise?

A month ago. Union Minister Ramdas Athawale, during an event in Pune, had demanded 20 seats from the Mahayuti alliance, emphasizing the importance of the RPI and the need for the alliance to respect it. He explained that not allocating seats to the RPI in the Mahayuti had led to a loss of seats, asserting that the RPI is a significant party with strong public support. However, since then, Athawale has not made any further demands. Now, State Organizer Wadekar’s demand for 12 seats suggests a shift towards compromise and readiness on the RPI’s side.

Union Minister and Republican Party of India (RPI) chief Ramdas Athawale expressed his dissatisfaction over the seat-sharing agreement in the Mahayuti alliance and said his party did not get any seats in Maharashtra for the upcoming assembly polls scheduled to take place on November 20.

Athawale said that he met Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis over the seat-sharing talks and and gave him a letter. “The Republican party has not got a single seat. It is a party of honest workers…Under the leadership of PM Modi. The Republican party is with NDA and Mahayuti,” he added.

The union minister said he demanded at least 2 seats from the ruling alliance for his Republican Party of India. The meeting comes amid growing unease in the Mahayuti Alliance party over the seat-sharing formula in the state. Republican Party is the leading party in the state and the Republican activists said that they are unhappy about the seat distribution.

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Athawale’s Republican Party of India (RPI) did not contest a single seat this election