Lok Sabha Election 2019: BJP enters alliance with Apna Dal (S) in UP, Anupriya Patel to contest from Mirzapur

LUCKNOW: After days of speculations, Apna Dal (S) reaffirmed its alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Uttar Pradesh for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections 2019 and will contest from two constituencies.

Union Minister and Apna Dal (S) leader Anupriya Patel will contest from the Mirzapur seat, confirmed BJP president Amit Shah on Twitter. Discussions on the second seat and which candidate will contest is still underway, he added.

“फिर एक बार-मोदी सरकार” के संकल्प के साथ ‘भाजपा-अपना दल’ गठबंधन उत्तरप्रदेश में लोकसभा चुनाव साथ-साथ लडेगा।

अपना दल प्रदेश की दो सीटों पर चुनाव लडेगा, जिसमे श्रीमती @AnupriyaSPatel जी मिर्जापुर से चुनाव लड़ेंगी और दूसरी सीट पर दोनों दलों के नेता बैठकर चर्चा करेंगे। pic.twitter.com/kBbuAyBs7m — Amit Shah (@AmitShah) March 15, 2019

Apna Dal (S) and Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party are BJP's two core allies in UP. In the last Lok Sabha election, the BJP won 71 seats in UP while ally Apna Dal (S) bagged two.

Following the announcement, Patel thanked Shah on efforts to save the alliance and addressing grievances in a tweet.

भाजपा अध्यक्ष श्री @AmitShah जी का आभार।उनके सत् प्रयासों से गठबन्धन बचा और कार्यकर्ताओं को लेकर हमारी शिकायतें दूर हुई। @ApnaDalOfficial दो सीटों पर लोकसभा का चुनाव लड़ेगी। हम पूरी ताक़त से श्री @narendramodi को दुबारा प्रधानमंत्री बनाने के लिए जुटेंगें। ‘फिर एक बार मोदी सरकार' pic.twitter.com/16bBIa6mSJ — Anupriya Patel (@AnupriyaSPatel) March 15, 2019

Amid tension with the BJP, the Apna Dal leaders had called a meeting of all its state and national leaders in Lucknow on February 28.