The BJP's Sanghamitra Maurya - the daughter of former Uttar Pradesh minister Swami Prasad Maurya - has claimed that she will not quit the party and campaign for it anywhere in the state except against her father. Though she earlier said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is like a father to her, she made it clear that she would not campaign against her father "even at the behest of the party".
A minister in the Yogi Adityanath government and one of the tallest state leaders of BJP, Mr Maurya had recently quit the BJP and joined forces with its biggest challenger, Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party. He is likely to contest from Padrauna.
Sanghamitra Maurya, who is the BJP's first-time MP from Budaun, told NDTV in an interview that her father had not discussed the matter with her before making the move. But there is no pressure on her to quit the BJP either, added the 37-year-old, who defeated Samajwadi Party's Dharmendra Yadav to win the seat in 2019.
"I am not under pressure to leave the BJP. I am and will be with the BJP," Ms Maurya told NDTV.
"Family life and political life completely different," she explained. But there was a caveat: "I will campaign for BJP in the entire state... But even at the behest of the party, I will not campaign against my father."
Asked if the situation will create problems for her and the party, she said so far the party has not asked her for any explanation. "I do not have to give any certificate of loyalty to the party," she added.
"My father has joined the Samajwadi Party to continue his battle to improve the lot of those who have been left behind... I have inherited the same ideology (but) I think this can be done under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi," she added.
On her father's assertion that the BJP has no respect for backward and Dalits, she said the matter has reached PM Modi and he will find a solution.
Polling for all six constituencies in Budaun districts and neighbouring areas will be held in the second phase of assembly elections on February 14.
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