By IANS,
Lucknow : Apna Dal, a regional party in Uttar Pradesh, Monday announced that expelled Samjawadi Party MP Atiq Ahmad had joined it and would be its candidate for the state’s Pratapgarh Lok Sabha seat.
“Atiq Ahmed is now with us and will contest from Pratapgarh,” Apna Dal chief Sone Lal Patel told reporters at a press conference in Allahabad.
He said Ahmad is familiar with the party and its policies as he was a “dedicated leader” of Apna Dal at one time. Ahmad’s joining the party again is like his home coming, he added.
At present, Ahmad is in Lalitpur jail on charges of killing Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) legislator Raju Pal.
The MP from Phoolpur constituency in Allahabad district, Ahmad had voted against the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government during the July 2008 trust vote and announced he would support BSP supremo Mayawati.
Following this, there was speculation he would get a ticket from BSP to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
However, Mayawati made it clear last month that her party wound never give the ticket to Ahmad.
“Pal was very dear to us. How can BSP allot a ticket to (Atiq) Ahmad who has been charged with killing one of our activists?” she had said.