Uttar Pradesh Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Samajwadi Party (SP) chief and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday said that SP's alliance with Krishna Patel-led Apna Dal (Kamerawadi) has fallen apart after both the parties nominated candidates from UP's Mirzapur Lok Sabha seat.
Addressing a presser, Akhilesh Yadav said that the alliance Apna Dal (Kamerawadi) was for 2022 and not for 2024.
On Wednesday, Apna Dal (Kamerawadi) declared its candidates for three seats in UP including on Mirzapur, Phulpur, and Kaushambi. Soon after its announcement, Akhilesh Yadav's party also declared its candidate from Mirzapur seat.
Akhilesh's party named Zia Ur Rehman Barq from Sambhal seat, Manoj Chaudhary from Baghpat, Rahul Awana from Gautam Buddha Nagar, Rajeev Rai from Ghosi, Rajendra S Bind from Mirzapur, and Bhagwat Sharan Gangwar from Pilibhit.
Reacting to SP fielding a candidate from Mirzapur, Apna Dal-K has said that it is now up to the Congress to decide on who will remain in the I.N.D.I.A bloc.
According to sources, Apna Dal-K leader Pallavi Patel, who attended the conclusion ceremony of Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Mumbai, had talks with Priyanka Gandhi regarding contesting polls on UP seats. Pallavi Patel had also participated in Rahul's Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Varanasi and had a separate meeting with the former Congress chief.
After SP announced its candidate from Mirzapur seat, Apna Dal-K has said that Akhilesh Yadav has betrayed them but the decision on the alliance has to be taken by Congress since it's leading the opposition's alliance.
Akhilesh Yadav cautions party leaders
Akhilesh Yadav has asked party workers to be careful of the BJP's "conspiracies" during voting in the Lok Sabha elections and not be misled by the ruling party.
The party workers need to pay attention on protecting the booths because the country, democracy and the Constitution will survive only when the BJP goes out of power, Yadav was quoted as saying in a statement issued by the party.
While addressing the workers at the party's state headquarters here, he said, "The eyes of the entire country are on Uttar Pradesh which will play an important and decisive role in the Lok Sabha elections. We have to be careful of the conspiracies of the BJP and remain alert while voting and not be misled by the BJP."
On the issue of electoral bonds, the SP chief alleged that the BJP has been exposed in donation collection.
"BJP took donations even from the pharmaceutical company that made Covid vaccine. Frustrated by the exposure of donation collection, the party is attacking the opposition."
With inputs from PTI
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