"None from my party contesting Lok Sabha polls": Jansatta Dal (Loktantrik) chief Raja Bhaiya

Pratapgarh (Uttar Pradesh) [India], May 19 (ANI): Jansatta Dal (Loktantrik) chief Raghuraj Pratap Singh aka Raja Bhaiya said his party has fielded no candidate for the Lok Sabha elections and neither has it entered into an alliance with any party.
Speaking to ANI, Singh said, "Raja Bhaiya's views or opinions are no secret. At a meeting of my party workers, I told them as well as my well-wishers that none from my party was contesting the Lok Sabha elections and neither have we allied with any party. Our workers and supporters are at liberty to vote for any party or candidate of their choice."
Stressing the significance of being on good terms with parties across the political aisle, he added, "Leaders and workers of the Samajwadi Party visited us. As politicians, we meet leaders across the political aisle. We maintain good ties with everyone, irrespective of which party they belong to. However, leaders of two parties cannot share the same stage if there's no alliance."
Coming out in praise of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his leadership, he said the former took 'historic' decisions in the interest of taking the country forward.
On whether he feels being challenged politically by Union Minister and Apna Dal (S) chief Anupriya Patel, Raja Bhaiya countered, "I am not aware of any challenge from anyone. For me, the happiness that I see on the faces of my party workers and supporters matters the most."
Polling for the Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh is being held across all seven phases. Voting in the first four phases has already been completed while the remaining phases are scheduled for May 20, May 25, and June 1.
The counting of votes for all phases has been scheduled for June 4.
In the 2019 polls, the BJP mopped up the bulk of the electoral spoils in the state, winning 62 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats, while ally Apna Dal (S) won two more seats.
Mayawati's BSP managed to secure 10 seats while her then-alliance partner, Akhilesh Yadav's SP, had to settle for just 5 seats. The Congress won just a lone seat in the state.
In the 2014 elections, the BJP swept UP, winning 71 seats while the Congress could only bag 2. (ANI)