Efforts for reconciliation between the mother and daughter fighting for control over Apna Dal, seem to have failed with mother Krishna Patel announcing to contest 150 seats in the Uttar Pradesh polls.
The faction led by Union Minister and MP from Mirzapur Anupriya Patel will contest the election as an ally of the BJP as her faction has been assured of eight seats.
The Election Commission had already frozen the election symbol of ‘cup and saucer’ of Apna Dal and now both factions will have to contest on new symbols till the matter is resolved.
Apna Dal (Krishna faction) has announced that they would release the list of candidates by January 27. Party’s national vice-president Pallavi Patel (Anupriya’s elder sister) said that the party will field candidates in 13 Kurmi dominated segments of Allahabad, Kaushambi and Pratapgarh. On these seats, the Krishna faction will be in direct contest with her estranged daughter Anupriya Patel’s candidates.
Pallavi, a staunch critic of her younger sister, said that her party would not form an alliance and claimed that there was no issue of symbol in Apna Dal.
“The Election Commission has not allotted a permanent symbol to us. In the lok Sabha polls, Anupriya contested on the symbol of ‘cup-plate’ while in other constituencies, the same symbol was given to Vanchit Samaj Party,’’ she said.