Anupriya Patel faction of Apna Dal moves EC seeking ban on mother’s Krishna Patel’s faction

Anupriya Patel faction of Apna Dal has moved the Election Commission seeking ban on her mother Krishna Patel’s faction. Patel’s faction has urged EC to take action against Krishna Patel’s faction for using the party name and flag during the election campaign for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

In her letter to the EC, Anupriya’s party said that her party Apna Dal (Sonelal) is registered with the Election Commission but her mother is also using the same name which is not right and only she and her party leaders can use the name.

She said that the Krishna Patel faction is not authorised to use a bank account and as per the rules, any party without a bank account is illegal and violates the Income Tax rules.

Apna Dal Krishna Patel faction has formed an alliance with the Congress, while the Anupriya Patel faction is part of BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The Krishna Patel faction has been given two seats in Uttar Pradesh – Basti and Pilibhit - as per the seat-sharing agreement with the Congress.

Anupriya Patel’s faction has also been given two seats by the BJP. While Anupriya Patel will contest from Mirzapur, one more seat is yet to be decided by the parties.

The Apana Dal, a sub-regional party in Uttar Pradesh, was founded by Sone Lal Patel in 1995. Patel had died in a car accident in 2009. Following his death, the party had split between his wife Krishna Patel and daughter Anupriya Patel.