Following the announcement of Akhilesh Yadav, leader of the Samajwadi Party, that the bond with Apna Dal (Kamerawadi) was over, Pallavi Patel, the leader of the party, has responded. 'We welcome Akhilesh Yadav's statement on the alliance, and we wish him well. We will fulfill the expectations he has from us,' said Patel.
Patel further stated, 'Although I contested the assembly elections on the SP symbol, I am certainly not an SP legislator. My legislative membership is my own, and its cancellation rests with the SP. I represent the Apna Dal alliance.' She added that what happens within the Indian Bloc coalition is their prerogative. 'The responsibility for the split lies with those who shaped the opposition coalition,' Patel accused, alluding to the treatment meted out to Rajmata Krishna Patel, akin to Nitish Kumar's experience in Bihar.
Pallavi Patel mentioned being invited to every meeting of the India coalition by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. 'We need to see if we still hold a place in the India Bloc. It's now for Congress to decide if they need backward and Dalit leaders,' she remarked. She also revealed that there were discussions with the SP-Congress about contesting elections in Phulpur, Kaushambi, and Mirzapur. Patel, throwing shade at Akhilesh Yadav, noted that from 47 legislators in 2017, SP rose to 111 in 2022 alongside a vote share increase to 34%.
Patel claimed that this was made possible because of the support from Om Prakash Rajbhar's Subhaspa, Keshav Dev's Mahan Dal, Sanjay Chauhan's Janwadi Socialist Party, Jayant Chaudhary's RLD, and Krishna Patel's Apna Dal (Kamerawadi). Despite this, Yadav asserts that the dissolution of the alliance makes no difference. 'He is right in believing that the 34% vote share is his own and that he needs no one else – this is SP's illusion,' stated Patel.
Discussing the upcoming strategies, Patel said that no decision has been made regarding an alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and that there is currently no proposal about joining the NDA. 'If we receive a proposal, the party will make a decision. Anupriya is on her path, and we must chart our own,' Patel concluded.
