Keeping all options open for pre-poll alliance for the Lok Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh, the Apna Dal led by Krishna Patel, widow of the party’s late founder Sonelal Patel, announced that in the era of gathbandhan politics, it was also in search a viable partner to contest the parliamentary elections.
The party is also not averse to have alliance with Bharatiya Janata Party. The party’s breakaway faction, Apna Dal (Sonelal), is an ally of the National Democratic Alliance and her daughter Anurpiya Patel is a minister in the Union government.
However, on a positive note for Krishna Patel, party MP from Pratapgarh, Kunwar Haribansh Singh, who had won the Lok Sabha polls for the party in 2014 along with Anupriya, was with the mother and not the daughter.
Addressing a press conference here on Sunday in presence of her daughter Pallavi Patel and Kunwar Haribansh Singh, Krishna Patel disclosed that leaders of all political parties, including Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, Congress and even BJP were in touch with her.
“We are not averse to joining the BJP if they accept our agenda of farmers, youths, and common people besides announcing a Kisan Commission,” she said, adding that they did not care if after the alliance with BJP Anupriya Patel too would be accommodated in the NDA.
“In 2014, the BJP tasted a landslide victory in UP due to support from Apna Dal and hence the party should think twice on accommodating us in the 2019 polls also,” Patel said.
She said everything about the alliance would be clear by next one month and if the tie-up did not materialise, the Apna Dal would contest around 30 Lok Sabha seats in eastern UP.
On reports of rift between the BJP and Anupriya Patel’s Apna Dal (Sonelal) and Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party of Om Prakash Rajbhar, she said, “I do not want to comment on it. But, as far as OP Rajbhar is concerned, he was once associated with Apna Dal and headed the youth wing of the party.”
Patel also praised Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and said, “The work done by Yogi Adityanath in the nearly two years of the government has been very good.”
Pallavi also supported her mother’s view an said the Apna Dal would stick to its agenda on which the party was formed by her father in 1996.
“We are the real Apna Dal and are fighting on the issues of farmers, youths and poor. Besides, we are the only political party which is concerned for the Kurmi community,” Pallavi said.
Meanwhile, Kunwar Haribansh Singh thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for announcing a medical college in Pratapgarh.
“I have written to UP CM to name the medical college on Sonelal Patel,” he said, announcing that the PM would lay the foundation stone of the new medical college in Pratapgarh very soon.
He also disclosed that on his personal instance, he Centre as well as the UP government had approved development projects worth over Rs 9,000 crore.
The Apna Dal (Sonelal) is a breakaway faction of Apna Dal, which was founded in 1995 by late Sonelal Patel. The Apna Dal (Sonelal) was founded by Jawahar Lal Patel, who was also founding member of the Apna Dal.
In October 2014, fissures within the Apna Dal became public for the first time, as the party’s then national general secretary Anupriya Patel was removed from her post.
