NDA constituent Apna Dal(S) today announced its first list of five candidates for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, with party convenor and Union Minister Anupriya Patel saying talks are on with BJP leadership for other seats.
The party is eyeing 13 seats in Purvanchal and central Uttar Pradesh having sizeable Patel Kurmi population. Apna Dal had earlier entered into an alliance with BJP in 2007 Assembly elections.
Anupriya claimed that BJP-led NDA will obtain clean majority in the elections and termed the alliance between Samajwadi Party and Congress as a "union" prompted by "compulsion".
"It is not a relationship of hearts, its a union between two parties trying to save themselves. There is an element of mistrust in it as Akhilesh ducks the question over leadership of Rahul at Centre though the latter has accepted him as Chief Minister in Uttar Pradesh," she claimed.
The five candidates are, Apna Dal(S) president and sitting MLA R K Verma for Vishwanathganj assembly seat in Pratapgarh seat, Jaykaran Umrao for Jahanabad seat in Fatehpur, Rahul Prakash Kol for Chhanbe seat in Mirzapur, Chaudhary Amar Singh for Shohratgarh seat in Siddharthnagar and Sangam lal Gupta for Pratapgarh Sadar seat, said party national spokesperson Brajendra Pratap Singh.
Jaykaran and Rahul joined Apna Dal(S) after leaving Samajwadi Party. Rahul's father Pakaurilal Kol is an ex-MP of Samajwadi Party from Mirzapur.
The spokesperson said the party will contest the elections in Uttar Pradesh on Cup-Plate symbol.
The party is expecting to field eight more candidates, including Pratap Pur, Handia and Soraon seats in Allahabad and Varanasi's Sewapuri and Pindara seats, sources said.
"We are in talks with senior BJP leaders over some other seats and a positive outcome is expected," Anupriya said.
Apna Dal founded by late Sonelal Patel has been facing crisis due to tussle between two groups led by Patel's wife Krishna Patel and his daughter Anupriya. The issue of control over the party is pending in a civil court.
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