Prakash Ambedkar’s Bharatiya Republican Paksha Bahujan Mahasangh is likely to join the Third Front —under the banner of Republican Left Democratic Front (RLDF) — as a constituent in a week.

The development will be a boost to the RLDF, which has been struggling with about 20 parties to form an alternative to the Congress-NCP and the Sena-BJP alliances.

Ambedkar had rejected the demand to join the unified RPI of Ramdas Athawale, saying that the RPI is confined to a single caste (Mahars converted to Buddhism). “I can't join them (unified RPI) because it caters to only one caste and the unity efforts are borne out of a feeling of hatred and revenge after Athawale was defeated in the recent Lok Sabha elections,” he said. “My party has reached out to people of different castes and religions. We have also reaped success in Akola. I can’t upset the structure and philosophy of the party (to join the unified RPI).”