Athawale's RPI to expand party base in Madhya Pradesh; eyes BJP alliance in 2023 polls

Republican Party of India (RPI) chief Ramdas Athawale is planning to contest the next assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh in alliance with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. Before that, the RPI(A), which is an outfit largely confined to some pockets in adjoining Maharashtra, will try to increase its support base in the state, said Athawale on Wednesday. 

“We did not have a mass base in Madhya Pradesh till now. Now, we will increase our support base. If the party becomes strong in the next one-and-a-half years, then I will talk to Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan about contesting the next elections (in alliance with BJP)," the Union Minister told reporters in response to a question. 

Athawale, whose party is a BJP ally at the Centre, said that he has made organisational appointments in his party's Madhya Pradesh unit. Asserting that RPI is with the ruling party at the Centre, he expressed hope that the BJP will ally with the party in Madhya Pradesh as well. 

The Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment praised the MP government's welfare initiatives for farmers, Dalits, and tribals, and stated his party has demanded that government employees from SC/ST communities be given reservations in promotions. 

RPI(A) seeks share in 2022 UP polls

Notably, in June, Ramdas Athawale had urged the BJP to allocate seats to RPI(A) in the upcoming elections in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Manipur, Goa, and Uttarakhand. 

In a letter addressed to BJP president JP Nadda, Athawale had opined that the saffron party should expand NDA to keep smaller parties together. Maintaining that his party is an integral part of the national alliance, he contended that RPI(A) can help cut the votes of BSP as both parties share a common Dalit support base. 

In view of this, he demanded 8-10 seats for his party in the 2022 Uttar Pradesh elections.

"My personal request to you is that if RPI (Athawale) is made an ally of Bharatiya Janata Party in Uttar Pradesh, then it will help in cutting the votes of BSP... If 8-10 seats are given to RPI, then BJP will get the indirect benefit too," he wrote. 

(With inputs from Agencies)

Image: PTI