Krishna Patel of SP-Apna Dal(K) files papers from Pratapgarh Sadar seat

After Krishna Patel filed her papers, daughter and Apna Dal (Sonelal) president Anupriya Patel decided not to field a party candidate from the seat

Apna Dal (Kamerawadi) president Krishna Patel filed her nomination papers from Pratapgarh (Sadar) seat as the Apna Dal (K)-Samajwadi Party alliance candidate on Tuesday. With her filing the nomination papers, Apna Dal (Sonelal) president Anupriya Patel has decided not to field a party candidate.

Krishna Patel filing her nomination from Pratapgarh (Sadar) seat of Pratapgarh district on Tuesday. (HT Photo)

While Apna Dal (K) is contesting the UP assembly polls as an ally of the Samajwadi Party, Apna Dal (S) is an ally of the ruling BJP and both allies had got the Pratapgarh (Sadar) seat in their quota as per the seat sharing agreement.

Right since the alliance between BJP and the Apna Dal (S), the Pratapgarh (Sadar) seat had been given to Apna Dal (S). In 2017, Sangam Lal Gupta of the party had got elected from the seat. This time, when the seat went to Apna Dal (S) once again, the party had declared its MLA Rajkumar Pal as the star campaigner and it was being widely believed that he would enter the poll fray from this seat.

However, when the seat went to Apna Dal (K) as part of its alliance with SP, there were speculations on either Anupriya Patel’s sister Pallavi Patel or her mother Krishna Patel would contest the polls.

Till the last day of filing of nomination papers for the fifth phase of the state assembly polls, neither party had declared their candidates from the seat. Finally, when on Tuesday afternoon Krishna Patel filed her papers, Anupriya Patel returned the seat to the BJP, making it clear that she would not like to enter a candidate of her party against her mother.

District president of Apna Dal (S) Brijesh Patel said that till now no candidate was announced by his party for the seat and as soon as information about Krishna Patel filing her papers reached his party president, she returned the seat to BJP. Interestingly, one Rajendra Prasad has filed the papers from this seat as Apna Dal (S) candidate.