And now, the ‘insult’ is complete: The Third Front contested in 200-odd seats. Of those, 106 seats had candidates from the Republican Party of India (Athavale group), led by former member of parliament Ramdas Athavale. The other parties in the Third Front bagged 10 seats, but Athavale’s RPI failed to win even one.

Athavale’s defeat in the Shirdi Lok Sabha constituency in the recent parliamentary polls was termed as an insult not only to him, but to the dalit voters of the state. Blaming the Congress and the NCP for his defeat, he left the coalition and joined the Third Front as its convenor.

He was at the helm of the Front comprising 17 parties, but failed to keep it intact. There were defections even before the polls. And now, with none of his RPI men winning, Athavale has egg on his face.

A leader, who has been active in both social and  political arenas for more than three decades now, has no representation in either the state assembly or the parliament.