Journalism of Courage
Anupriya Patel is a prominent political leader from Uttar Pradesh and the president of the political party, “Apana Dal (Sonelal).” She is the incumbent Member of Parliament from Uttar Pradesh’s Mirzapur Lok Sabha constituency. She was born on April 28, 1981, in a politically active family. Her father, the late Soney Lal Patel, was the founder of Apna Dal, a political party based in Uttar Pradesh. Patel's educational background includes a Master's degree in Psychology and an MBA.
Her political career began when she was elected as a member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly for the Rohaniya constituency in Varanasi in 2012. Subsequently, she contested the 2014 general elections in alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and won as a Member of Parliament from the Mirzapur constituency. She retained her seat in both the 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha elections, becoming the three-time sitting MP from the seat.
Her leadership qualities were recognised when she became the Apna Dal (Sonelal) after her father’s demise in 2016. She also became the Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare from 2016 to 2019. She held the Minister of State for Commerce and Industry of India position from July 7, 2021, to June 9, 2024.
