Congress ties up with Apna Dal, to contest on two seats in UP
Ahead of the Lok Sabha election 2019, the Congress has aligned with the Apna Dal, headed by Krishna Patel, who would be contesting on two seats in Uttar Pradesh.
The BJP had earlier tied up with the Apna Dal (Soneylal), headed by Anupriya Patel, who was in a state of dissent as per media reports. Although, the BJP was successful in bringing its disgruntled allies on board, its the Congress which has also started sewing the electoral bonds just ahead of the 2019 polls.
The alliance between the Congress and Apna Dal was finalized after a meeting was held in Delhi with UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and other senior Congress leaders like Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Rahul Gandhi and Jyotiraditya Scindia.
#UPDATE Congress clarifies that Apna Dal’s Krishna Patel faction has joined Congress alliance for 2 Lok Sabha seats- Basti and Pilibhit* in Uttar Pradesh. Pankaj Niranjan Singh Chandel, son-in-law of Krishna Patel, has taken membership of the Congress https://t.co/fBTCnWq5O0
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 16, 2019
In a statement, the grand old party said, “INC and Apna Dal have entered into an alliance. The Congress has reserved 2 seats for the alliance, Pilibhit and Gonda.”
News agency ANI tweeted, “Congress clarifies that Apna Dal’s Krishna Patel faction has joined Congress alliance for 2 Lok Sabha seats- Basti and Pilibhit* in Uttar Pradesh. Pankaj Niranjan Singh Chandel, son-in-law of Krishna Patel, has taken membership of the Congress.”
In the upcoming election, the Uttar Pradesh would become a triangular contest after the SP-BSP alliance, the BJP, and the Congress running for its existence in the state where it has been out of power since last 29 years.
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First published: 17 March 2019, 9:32 IST