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, Athawale said RPI(A) has already established its organisational presence across 62 districts in Uttar Pradesh and is working to strengthen its base among marginalised communities, particularly Dalits, by upholding the principles of Dr BR Ambedkar. He asserted that the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has significantly lost its mass base, creating an opportunity for RPI (A) to consolidate Dalit votes in favour of the NDA. "Through cooperation with marginalised communities, the BJP will be able to secure the Dalit vote," he added. Athawale is scheduled to meet chief minister Yogi Adityanath to discuss seat-sharing arrangements and broader alliance issues. He also urged the UP government to provide five acres of land to Dalit families in villages and construct 'Samaj Bhavans' (community centres) to address their concerns. Athawale also trained his guns on Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, criticising his party's stance on the Women's Reservation Bill. "Opposing women is not the mark of a true socialist," he remarked. He further expressed confidence that the BJP-led NDA would emerge victorious in the West Bengal assembly elections....