UP Election 2022: Rift Seem To Appear As SP Ally ‘Returns’ Seat Share Days Before Poll

After SP fielded its candidate from Allahabad West, Apna Dal (K) decided to “return” the seats. Apna Dal (K) joined hands with SP to contest on 18 seats.

Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav | Image: PTI

New Delhi: One of the main contenders for the run up to Uttar Pradesh Assembly, Samajwadi Party seemed to be in a rift as one of its allies “returning” the seats, just few days before the state would undergo its first phase of polls. 

The Apna Dal (Kamerawadi) and the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party forged an alliance where the Apna Dal (K) had to contest on 18 seats, out of which a list of seven seats were announced on January 29. 

Rough weather started for the alliance when SP fielded one of its party leaders Amarnath Maurya as a candidate from Allahabad West seat, a seat which earlier appeared on the Apna Dal (K)’s list. 

On the same day, Pallavi Patel of the Apna Dal (K) was announced as a candidate from Sirathu in the Kaushambi district, but did not clarify whether she would be contesting the polls from her party or on SP’s symbol, reports Indian Express. 

After SP fielded its candidate from Allahabad West, Apna Dal (K) decided to “return” the seats. Along with the seven seats announced in — Rohaniya and Pindara (Varanasi), Mariyahu (Jaunpur), Marihan (Mirzapur), Ghoraval (Sonbhadra), Pratapgarh Sadar (Pratagarh) and Allahabad West (Prayagraj), the Apna Dal said that it would leave the Sirathu seat also. 

“We do not want any dispute and confusion in the alliance. So, we have returned all the seats that the SP gave to Apna Dal to contest in the alliance. Let the SP first give seats to those who need them first. If any seat is left undisputed, let them give it to us,” Apna Dal (K) national general secretary Pankaj Niranjan told The Indian Express.

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Niranjan said that the party’s decision was conveyed to SP leader Udaiveer Singh who is authorised to coordinate between the two parties. He said that they were waiting for a response from SP’s side. 

Whereas a party member from Samajwadi Party was quoted as saying, “The party president must remove such confusion. Otherwise, it will lead to the kind of chaos that happened in 2017 when SP and Congress (in alliance then) fielded candidates on the same seats in certain districts.”

Uttar Pradesh will undergo Assembly elections in seven phases starting from February 10. Counting of votes will take place on March 10.