Apna Dal (Kamerawadi) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Apna Dal (Kamerawadi)
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| Abbreviation | AD(K) |
| President | Krishna Patel |
| Founder | Chaudhary Balihari Patel Sone Lal Patel |
| Founded | 4 November 1995 |
| Headquarters | 126/17-B, B. N. Road Lalbagh, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India |
| Ideology | Social justice Women's rights Inclusive Governance |
| National affiliation |
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| Colours | Orange/Blue |
| Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Sabha |
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| Party flag | |
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Apna Dal (Kamerawadi) is a political party in India. It mainly works in the state of Uttar Pradesh. A political party is a group of people who share similar ideas about how the country should be run. They work together to get their members elected to government.
Contents
How the Party Started
Apna Dal was created on November 4, 1995. It was founded by Sone Lal Patel and Chaudhary Balihari Patel. They had worked closely with a leader named Kanshi Ram. They were also among the people who started another party called the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).
However, some members felt that Kanshi Ram was giving too much importance to a younger leader, Mayawati. This made many other party workers unhappy. In 1995, the BSP had a chance to lead the government in Uttar Pradesh. Kanshi Ram chose Mayawati to be the Chief Minister.
Mayawati's government lasted only a short time, from June to October 1995. But during this period, many people decided to leave the BSP. They wanted to form a new political party.
That new party was Apna Dal. Chaudhary Balihari Patel and Dr. Sone Lal Patel founded it in November 1995. This was less than three weeks after Mayawati's government ended. The BSP mainly focused on the rights of dalits. Apna Dal wanted to represent people from all groups and religions.
To show this, the Apna Dal flag has two colors: saffron and blue. Saffron is a color often linked to Hinduism. Blue is increasingly seen as the color for dalits and followers of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. The Election Commission of India gave Apna Dal the "cup and saucer" as its official symbol for elections.
The Party's Journey
Early Years with Sone Lal Patel
Apna Dal became well-known in the Varanasi-Mirzapur area. This was the home region of Sone Lal Patel. The party held its first big meeting in Varanasi. Hundreds of thousands of people attended this event. In 1999, during a protest, many party workers faced difficulties with the police.
However, the party's success in elections was not always steady. In 2002, a politician named Atiq Ahmed won a state assembly election. He won from the Allahabad area as an Apna Dal candidate. The party did not win any seats in the 2009 Indian general election. They also did not win seats in the 2007 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.
Leadership of Anupriya Patel
In October 2009, Dr. Sone Lal Patel passed away in a car accident. His wife, Krishna Patel, became the party president. She continued the party's work. Their elder daughter, Anupriya Patel Singh, and her husband, Ashish Singh, also worked for the party.
In the 2012 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, the party had a success. Anupriya Patel Singh won an assembly seat from the Rohaniya area near Varanasi. For this election, Apna Dal worked with other smaller groups. One of these was the Peace Party of India.
Two years later, the party decided to work with the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP). The BJP was becoming very strong in the state. On March 25, 2014, Apna Dal joined the NDA. This is a group of parties led by the BJP. Apna Dal agreed to run for two seats in the national election. These seats were Mirzapur and Pratapgarh. They would support the BJP in other areas.
Because of this alliance, Apna Dal won both seats in the 2014 national elections. Harivansh Singh won in Pratapgarh. Anupriya Patel Singh won in Mirzapur. Also, Rakesh Kumar Verma of Apna Dal won a special election for an assembly seat. This success was huge for the party. They had never won a seat in the national parliament before.
Challenges and Changes
After winning the election in Mirzapur, Anupriya Patel Singh left her state assembly seat. This meant a new election was needed for the Rohaniya seat. Anupriya wanted her husband, Ashish Singh, to be the party's candidate. However, the party's main committee, led by her mother Krishna Singh, chose Krishna Singh as the candidate.
This decision aimed to reduce the influence of Anupriya and her husband. They were taking charge of party matters without permission. Krishna Singh and her younger daughter were not happy about this. In the special election in October 2014, Anupriya did not support her mother's campaign. Some even said she worked against her mother.
Krishna Singh lost the election. This made the disagreements within the family worse. Soon after, Krishna removed her daughter from her role as party general secretary. The differences grew over the next few months. On May 7, 2015, Anupriya and six others were removed from the party. This was for activities that went against the party. Another party, called Apna Dal (Sonelal), was registered in December 2016. This party has the support of Anupriya Patel. This showed that the original Apna Dal was splitting into two groups.
Working with Other Parties (2020s)
In the 2022 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, Apna Dal (Kamerawadi) joined forces with the Samajwadi Party. Dr. Pallavi Patel, a member of Apna Dal (Kamerawadi), won an important election. She defeated Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya in the Sirathu area.
In 2023, the party joined the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA). This group is led by the Indian National Congress. Its goal is to oppose the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance. In 2024, Apna Dal (Kamerawadi) left the INDIA alliance. They formed a new alliance with All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen. This new group is called Pichda Dalit Muslim.
