They may be on the opposite ends of the political spectrum, but union minister of state for social justice Ramdas Athawale has reached out to Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) chief Prakash Ambedkar for a grand alliance of factions of the Dalit-dominated Republican Party of India.
Athawale, who heads the RPI-A, was speaking to reporters on Ambedkar Jayanti on Sunday.
The RPI-A is also contesting 76 Lok Sabha seats in 13 states across India, including Assam and Jharkhand (3 each), Uttar Pradesh (15), Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu (seven each), Kerala, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka (five each).