Lucknow, April 26 -- Ramdas Athawale, Union minister of state for social justice and empowerment and Republican Party of India (Athawale) president, on Saturday announced that his party will field candidates on 25 seats in the 2027 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.

He made it clear that while RPI (A) prefers to contest in alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) under the NDA umbrella, the party is prepared to go solo if the demand for seats is not met.

Athawale's remarks come as political activity in Uttar Pradesh intensifies well ahead of the 2027 assembly polls, with smaller NDA allies actively positioning themselves and seeking a larger role in seat-sharing negotiations with the BJP.

Addressing a press conference in Lucknow, ...