If there was a political entity that last emerged and made a mark in Maharashtra during the Lok Sabha polls, it was the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) led by Prakash Ambedkar, the grandson of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar.
The VBA, which allied with the All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), is blamed for the defeat of the opposition Congress and NCP in seven seats, while the AIMIM's Imtiaz Jaleel won from Aurangabad.
With the battle-lines being drawn for the Maharashtra assembly polls, Ambedkar, a former Lok Sabha MP, and this week's Newsmaker, had a free-wheeling conversation with the DNA team on a range of issues including the eroding strength of the Congress, the failures of the Narendra Modi government and the economic downturn.