Anupriya ready for a ‘bigger’ role

Anupriya attributes her victory in the assembly polls of 2012 to a dedicated Patel voter base and Apna Dal workers.

A reluctant heir to a political party who, in her own words, fumbled into the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly from Varanasi a couple of years ago is now ready to take up bigger responsibilities in the Lok Sabha. Anupriya Patel’s father died in a road mishap in 2009, hardly 20 days after she married civil engineer Ashish Singh, leaving her with the responsibility of Apna Dal, which she describes as a “chhoti si party”.

Anupriya attributes her victory in the assembly polls of 2012 to a dedicated Patel voter base and Apna Dal workers. Anupriya is in Delhi to join the 16th Lok Sabha and there is speculation of a likely role for her in the Narendra Modi-led cabinet.

From near-oblivion in Poorvanchal, Apna Dal bagged two seats in the Lok Sabha polls. She won Mirzapur by a margin of over two lakh votes and got credit for helping BJP stage its victory march across Poorvanchal in UP.

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With a degree from Delhi’s Lady Shri Ram College and an MBA, Anupriya has proved she is no greenhorn in politics either.

The 33-year-old is not one to rest on her laurels. She promises to sweep the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections in alliance with BJP in 2017. That the BJP sees her as a significant ally is evident.

She was spotted receiving Modi, who won the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat, when he reached the city for Ganga aarti following the BJP’s thumping victory. She was seated with him in the enclosure viewing the Ganga aarti.

Patel, asked about the possibility of making it to the cabinet, says, “If Modiji feels I can handle a bigger responsibility, he will give it to me. My focus is Poorvanchal and Uttar Pradesh. Poorvanchal is neglected, people are living in abject poverty, there are no medical facilities, educational institutes, electricity…nothing at all. Modiji has visited all these areas and they will be on his priority list,” she told The Indian Express.

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She is all praise for Amit Shah for his catalytic role this election in UP.

Shah, who is the BJP’s UP-in-charge in that state, made special efforts to get Apna Dal on board and the Patel vote base favoured the BJP. Patel voters, ranging from 5 per cent to 20 per cent in Poorvanchal, wield an influence in 38 constituencies.

With the Apna Dal allying with the BJP, this voter base is said to have gone with the BJP. Shah also addressed a rally in Mirzapur. Apna Dal also bagged the Pratapgarh Lok Sabha seat, from where the BJP is said to have written itself off. Besides, the party also won the Vishwanathganj assembly bypoll defeating the BJP candidate, adding to her political CV.