Marathi Buddhists ( Marāṭhī Bauddha ) are Buddhists of Marathi ethnic and linguistic identity . The religious community resides in the Indian state of Maharashtra . They speak Marathi as their mother-tongue (first language). The Marathi Buddhist community is the largest Buddhist community in India. According to the 2011 Indian census, Marathi Buddhists constitute 5.81% of the population in Maharashtra, which is 77% of the total Buddhist population in India.
28-552: The Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi (translation: Deprived Majority Front ; abbr. VBA ) is an Indian political party founded by Prakash Ambedkar on 20 March 2018. The party is primarily based in Maharashtra in India . Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi follows Phule - Ambedkarite ideology. On 1 January 2018, the name "Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi" was first used in a convention held by Dhangar community people at Pandharpur , Maharashtra. The convention
56-511: A completely new sect culturally and ritually as it borrows most of its traditions from Theravada sect of Sri Lanka. B. R. Ambedkar publicly converted on 14 October 1956, at Deekshabhoomi , Nagpur , over 20 years after he declared his intent to convert. He converted approximately 600,000 people to Buddhism. The conversion ceremony was attended by Medharathi, his main disciple Bhoj Dev Mudit, and Mahastvir Bodhanand's Sri Lankan successor, Bhante Pragyanand. Ambedkar asked Dalits not to get entangled in
84-590: A registered political party, moreover Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh , a political party shall be dissolved into Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi as said by Prakash Ambedkar. On 28 September 2018, the first session of the VBA was held at Solapur and resulted in agreement from the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen to form a coalition. The Coalition Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi is going to contest for the upcoming Lok Sabha and Legislative Assembly elections 2018 in
112-622: Is Yashwant Ambedkar (Bhaiyasaheb) and mother's name is Meera. The Ambedkar family are followers of Buddhism . He has two younger brothers Bhimrao & Anandraj and a sister Ramabai who is married to Anand Teltumbde . Prakash Ambedkar is married to Anjali Maydeo and they have a son named Sujat. Prakash Ambedkar has organised mass rallies at the national level, including in response to the Riddles march case, Rohith Vemula suicide case, Ambedkar Bhavan demolition case, Una flogging incident and 2018 Bhima Koregaon violence case. Prakash Ambedkar
140-591: Is an Indian politician, writer and lawyer. He is the president of political party called Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi . He is a three-time Member of Parliament (MP). He was a member of the 12th and 13th Lok Sabha of India and twice represented the Lok Sabha constituency of Akola , Maharashtra . He has served in both houses of the Indian Parliament . Prakash Ambedkar is the grandson of Indian politician Dr. B. R. Ambedkar , and Ramabai . His father's name
168-547: Is its manifesto. This declaration has focused on 27 different issues. These announcements have been given to 'KG to PG free education', bring Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh within the framework of the Indian Constitution, the status of independent religion to the Lingayatism and various schemes for the farmers. Prakash Ambedkar Prakash Yashwant Ambedkar (born 10 May 1954), popularly known as Balasaheb Ambedkar ,
196-521: Is noted for having designed the political strategy known as the Akola Pattern of political organising to appeal to all excluded masses, including Dalits, Muslims and other excluded peoples. The Akola Pattern is named after the Akola district of Maharashtra where Prakash Ambedkar's political party is based. In 2017, together with his son Sujat, Prakash Ambedkar relaunched Prabuddh Bharat (Enlightened India),
224-414: Is the VBA leader. The Election Commission of India had given election symbol " Gas cylinder " to the VBA candidates for the 2019 Maharashtra Legislative Assembly election . VBA contested 234 of the 288 seats in 2019 Maharashtra Legislative Assembly election but won none. The VBA also supported 23 other non-VBA candidates. The VBA is the party which contested the second highest number of seats in
252-508: The 2024 Indian general election in Maharashtra , but all of them lost. VBA candidates got 15,82,855 (3.6%) votes in this election. In the 2024 Maharashtra Legislative Assembly election , 200 candidates of Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi are contesting. Almost half of these candidates are Buddhists or Mahars . votes On 6 April 2019, the VBA said that the preamble of the Constitution of India
280-562: The Aurangzeb memorial in Khuldabad , Aurangabad District . His visit coincided with arrests and clashes in the state related to social media posts praising Aurangzeb. Ambedkar questioned the notion of erasing history and asked, "What's wrong with visiting the Aurangzeb memorial? He was a Mughal emperor who ruled here for 50 years." Marathi Buddhists Almost all Marathi Buddhists belong to
308-506: The Navayana tradition, a 20th-century Buddhist revival movement in India that received its most substantial impetus from B. R. Ambedkar who called for the conversion to Buddhism by rejecting the caste -based society of Hinduism. This was though a socio-religious movement and the term "Navayana" was used to "simplify the present cultural complexities" in other sects of Buddhism. Overall this wasn't
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#1732876350844336-451: The 2019 State Elections in Maharashtra. The AIMIM, led by Asaduddin Owaisi , had hoped to contest 100 seats out of total 288 Seats of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, but Prakash Ambedkar proposed a mere eight seats for Owaisi's party. Despite Owaisi's attempt to negotiate, Prakash Ambedkar stood firm, effectively signaling the end of the alliance without explicitly stating it. Prakash Ambedkar
364-542: The Aurangabad constituency. VBA supported AIMIM was the first place in a Lok Sabha constituency in Aurangabad for getting more votes, whereas VBA was the second in the Akola constituency and VBA was in the third place in 41 constituencies. The party had an alliance with the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen until 6 September 2019, Unfortunately, the alliance disintegrated due to differences arising from seat distribution during
392-556: The Constitution survives." Prakash Ambedkar attracted controversy and criticism after he threatened the Times Now anchor Anand Narsimhan to physically harm the anchor by saying that he would think what he could do to him if the governance gets changed. In June 2023, Ambedkar defended the historical significance of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb's 50-year rule, urging people not to resort to abuse. Ambedkar made this statement while visiting
420-547: The Indian National Congress. Congress offered four seats to the Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi. "We had proposed 12 seats initially before Congress, but the proposal did not get any positive response. [There] now there is talk of 22 seats, but that has also been revoked," said Prakash Ambedkar. Thereafter VBA took a rigid stand to contest all 48 seats in the state Maharashtra. In July 2019, Laxman Mane split from
448-556: The VBA and formed new party, the Maharashtra Bahujan Vanchit Aaghadi. In March 2019, VBA declared its first list of 37 candidates along with their caste or religions being mentioned. The candidates of VBA have been selected from different politically deprived communities such as Dhangar , Kunbi , Bhil , Buddhist , Koli , Vadar, Lohar , Varli , Banjara , Muslim , Mali , Kaikadi, Bhoi , Matang , Agri , Shimpi , Lingayat , Golla and Maratha . Ambedkar said
476-489: The VBA candidates for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Prakash Ambedkar, the party leader, has been an MP twice from the Akola Loksabha constituency before losing his seat in the 2019 elections. In the Lok Sabha elections 2019, the sole candidate of AIMIM Imtiyaz Jaleel won while no candidate from VBA could win the polls. In the 17 constituencies of the state, the candidates of the VBA got more than 80,000 votes. According to
504-492: The caste of the candidates had been given because no other political party does so and it was essential to highlight that these people were, in his opinion, kept out of politics by competing parties because of issues relating to caste. Out of the 48 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha seat in Maharashtra, AIMIM is contesting in one seat of Aurangabad and the VBA candidate for the remaining 47 seats. The Election Commission of India has given election symbol " Teacup " (Cup Bashi) to most of
532-774: The election, after the Bahujan Samaj Party (262 seats contested). According to the figures released by the Election Commission of India, in the Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha elections held in 2019, VBA candidates had got more than 24 lakh votes (4.6%). The VBA came in second place in 10 constituencies. On 8 November 2019, the Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangha merged into the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi. 38 candidates of Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi contested
560-496: The eminent leader Prakash Ambedkar and existence of each progressive party shall be upheld". In this way, Prakash Ambedkar explained the doctrine of the Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi. Later, on 20 May 2018, Ambedkar established the Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi. On 15 March 2018, Ambedkar asserted that the Election Commission of India has announced the list of registered parties in India, and "Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi" has been recognized as
588-567: The existing branches of Buddhism (Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana), and called his version Navayana or 'Neo-Buddhism'. Ambedkar would die less than two months later, just after finishing his definitive work on Buddhism. Many Buddhists employ the term "Ambedkarite Buddhism" to designate the Buddhist movement, which started with Ambedkar's conversion. Converted people call themselves "Bauddha" i.e. Buddhists. Almost all Marathi Buddhists are converts from Hinduism . Most Buddhist Marathi people belong to
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#1732876350844616-489: The figures released by the Election Commission of India, in the Lok Sabha elections held in Maharashtra in 2019, VBA and AIMIM candidates had got 4,132,242 (7.64%) votes. 47 candidates standing on the VBA ticket received 37,43,200 votes, it was 6.92% of the total votes in Maharashtra and VBA had 7.08% votes of the 47 constituencies contested (excluding Aurangabad). In all the 48 constituencies in Maharashtra, 54,054,245 voters were polled, out of which 1,198,221 voters were polled in
644-406: The former Mahar community who adopted Buddhism with Ambedkar in 1956. In the 1951 census of India, In Maharashtra, 2,487 (0.01%) respondents said they were Buddhist. The 1961 census, taken after B. R. Ambedkar adopted Navayana Buddhism with his millions of followers in 1956, showed an increase to 2,789,501 (7.05%). Marathi Buddhists account for 77.36% of all Buddhists in India . According to
672-564: The leader of Agri - Koli community, presided over this conference in the presence of Ambedkar and Owaisi and discussed OBC rights. Furthermore, in Mumbai, there are 200 villages in Agri, Koli, Bhandari, Bombay East Indians tribal for which the government should distribute the property cards, to entitle them to the right to self development, in the same manner the development of slums should be done as per village site law. The people received huge response in
700-471: The meeting at Shivaji Park, Mumbai. The meetings held by these alliances have received great response so far. Adequate efforts were also made to get Ambedkar along with Indian National Congress - Nationalist Congress Party for the anti- Bhartiya Janata Party agitation. In order to give representation for the deprived communities such as Muslim , Dhangar, Koli, Nomadic tribes OBC and smaller OBC communities, VBA demanded 12 seats (two seats for each community) to
728-510: The newspaper his grandfather Dr. B. R. Ambedkar founded in 1956. Prakash Ambedkar has also been working to archive editions of the original Prabuddh Bharat from the 1950s, after copies were lost in the controversial demolition of the Buddha Bhushan printing press in 2016. Prakash Ambedkar has also worked to preserve his grandfather's legacy as architect of the Indian Constitution and has been quoted as saying "The country will survive only if
756-455: The state Maharashtra. Ambedkar subsequently organised public gatherings throughout Maharashtra under the VBA banner. In the beginning, efforts were made to organise the masses through conventions and at district levels and conferences in the name of farmers, workers, youths, and reservations . On 23 February 2019, at Shivaji Park in Mumbai , an OBC Reservation Conference was held. Rajaram Patil,
784-493: Was presided over by Prakash Ambedkar . So far, around 100 small political parties and social organizations have participated in this convention. In June 2018, a decision was taken to constitute a political party, that is the Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi by all pro-progressive parties in a meeting in the presence of Prakash Ambedkar, Laxman Mane , Haridas Bhade and Vijay More. "There will be the inclusion of all progressive parties in this front (VBA), and this political front will be led by
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