Mumbai, Jan 31 (IANS): Maharashtra's opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) on Tuesday took on board several other parties including Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi, Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India-Marxist, Aam Aadmi Party and others, senior leaders said here on Tuesday.

The new parties joined the MVA alliance of Congress-Shiv Sena-UBT-Nationalist Congress Party-SP at the crucial round of talks for seat-sharing in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections held this evening.

SS-UBT MP Sanjay Raut said that the discussions are progressing “smoothly” in a cordial atmosphere and the final decisions on the seat-sharing aspects are expected to be taken soon.

In a significant development, the VBA led by Prakash Ambedkar officially joined the MVA alliance and Tuesday’s talks after a written invitation from the MVA leaders, said a Congress leader.

The VBA comprising Dalits, Dhangars, tribals, Agris, Banjaras, Kolis, Malis, Kaikadis and other communities has also confirmed that Ambedkar would attend the next MVA meeting scheduled later this week.

The MVA's letter said that the country is passing through a critical phase and its great democratic traditions are turning to a dictatorship.

"People apprehend that in 2024, if there is a different result in the country (with Bharatiya Janata Party returning to power), this will probably be the last election. The MVA was formed to change this situation and bring about a difference in the state and country," it said.

"The inclusion of VBA into the MVA will definitely boost the anti-dictatorship struggle in the country… The Constitution and democracy are at risk, we have to work together and save them," said Raut.

The VBA could play a vital role for the MVA’s prospects in the next elections, given its track record of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls when it was in alliance with the All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM). The VBA-AIMIM severely hit the vote-banks of the Congress and undivided NCP in at least a dozen of the 48 Lok Sabha seats in the state, which proved beneficial to the BJP and the undivided Shiv Sena.

However, the situation apparently improved when the VBA-AIMIM tie-up was severed before the 2019 Assembly elections and helped form the MVA government headed by Uddhav Thackeray.