UP election: Miffed Apna Dal fields four candidates against ally BJP

Anupriya Patel-led Apna Dal was allotted 12 seats though it is demanding to increase its seat share.

Varanasi, Feb 9: Miffed over its alliance partner BJP deciding to contest on seats allotted to it, the Anupriya Patel led Apna Dal (Sonelal) has fielded candidates on four assembly seats in eastern Uttar Pradesh against the saffron party.

Inspite of contesting the Uttar Pradesh polls in alliance, the junior ally is contesting from Rohaniya, Chunar, Sevapuri and Marihan assembly seats. The party led by Patel, who is a Union minister in the NDA government at the Centre, had contested the 2014 Lok Sabha polls in alliance with BJP.

Party national spokesperson Brijendra Pratap Singh yesterday released a list of four candidates. According to which it fielded two candidates –Uday Singh Patel from Rohaniya and Neelratan Patel from Sevapuri assembly seats, which falls under Varanasi, the Lok Sabha constituency from where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is an MP.

It also fielded Shiv Kumar Singh from Marihan and Anil Singh from Chunar assembly seats which are in neighbouring Mirzapur district. Under the seat sharing pact with Patel-led Apna Dal, BJP had earlier announced Surendra Narain Audhey as candidate from Rohaniya seat, Rama Shankar Patel from Marihan and Anurag Singh from Chunar assembly seats.

Irked over BJP state president Keshav Prasad Maurya fielding Surendra Chaudhary from Soraon (SC) assembly seat despite the seat being allotted to the Apna Dal faction, the party decided to field Jamuna Prasad Saroj from there, Singh said.

The Apna Dal demanded Maurya to withdraw his candidate but when it was not done, the party decided to field its candidates on the four seats where it has a chance to win. Patel-led Apna Dal was allotted 12 seats though it is demanding to increase its seat share, the Spokesperson said.

PTI