Can BJP keep dissent-hit, peeved ally Apna Dal (S) in embrace?
However, the new front went a step further, declaring it would field candidates in the upcoming panchayat polls and support the NDA in the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls.Pressure mounting, Apna Dal (S) state president R.P. Gautam wrote to chief minister Yogi Adityanath to remove the rebel leaders and their relatives from government-nominated posts in order to restore mutual trust in the alliance.Meanwhile, there has been growing talk that after indirectly targeting the BJP, Ashish Patel may step down as the state's technical education minister. At the event on July 3—attended by 12 of the 13 party MLAs—he had questioned the BJP's commitment to the alliance. He alleged a conspiracy against Apna Dal (S) because of its growing support base and warned of attempts to destabilise the party, including through false legal cases.The next day, Ashish Patel quit as Apna Dal (S) working president and was appointed national vice-president, adding to more speculation about the equation within the alliance.Anupriya Patel, in her message, urged Apna Dal (S) workers to stay prepared, saying that the coming days would be crucial. In a pushback to the dissenters, she underlined that the party remained united and firm on its principles.For the BJP, the timing and public nature of the rift could pose a challenge. The Apna Dal (S) has been one of its most reliable allies in attracting Kurmi OBC votes in Uttar Pradesh. Kurmis are about 6 per cent of the population of Uttar Pradesh and comprise about 35 per cent of the OBCs in the state.The Apna Dal (S) was formed in 1995 by Sone Lal Patel, also a founding member of the Bahujan Samaj Party, to champion Kurmi representation. He died in 2009. Anupriya first became Union minister in the Narendra Modi government in 2016. Ashish Patel is its own minister in the Adityanath government.Despite the longstanding association, open attacks on the BJP by senior Apna Dal (S) leaders, internal rebellion and past family disputes risk weakening the equation. As the Apna Dal (S) prepares for assembly elections two years away while signalling frustration with its partner, the BJP faces the delicate task of keeping its ally in embrace without letting these tensions affect its own image among OBC voters in the state. advertisementSubscribe to India Today Magazine- EndsMust Watch
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