The Apna Dal (Kamerawadi) and the Asaduddin Owaisi-led All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) have decided to form an alliance for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh, according to sources.
An official announcement regarding this alliance is scheduled to be made later today at a joint press conference in Lucknow, where Apna Dal (K) leader Pallavi Patel and Owaisi are expected to address the media together.
The decision for the alliance comes after Patel's recent meeting with Owaisi in Hyderabad three days ago. Subsequently, on March 23, the Apna Dal (K) withdrew its candidates from three Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh – Phulpur, Mirzapur, and Kaushambi – just three days after announcing their candidature.
The Krishna Patel-led party stated that it has canceled the list of candidates for the Lok Sabha elections until further notice. Previously, the party had expressed its intention to contest three seats as part of the INDIA bloc in Uttar Pradesh.
During the 2022 Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, the Apna Dal (K) had formed an alliance with the Samajwadi Party (SP), with Patel contesting on an SP ticket. However, a rift emerged between the two parties during the recent Rajya Sabha election when Patel insisted on voting only for the PDA candidate (SP) Ramaji Lal Suman.
In a separate development, the SP and the Congress have finalized a seat-sharing arrangement as part of the INDIA bloc in Uttar Pradesh. Under this agreement, the Congress will contest 17 out of the state's 80 Lok Sabha constituencies, while the SP will field its candidates in the remaining 63 seats.
Uttar Pradesh is scheduled to vote in seven phases from April 19 to June 1, with vote counting slated for June 4.
