Former Samajwadi Party MP from Mirzapur, Bal Kunwar Patel on Friday joined Congress in the presence of party president Rahul Gandhi and Congress General Secretary for eastern Uttar Pradesh Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

Patel, who was a prominent face for the Samajwadi Party (SP) from the Kurmi community, will contest polls from Banda Lok Sabha seat in the impending polls.

Patel was elected as a Member of Parliament on an SP ticket from Mirzapur Lok Sabha seat in 2009. In 2014, the party changed his constituency from Mirzapur to Banda, where he lost by a narrow margin.

There are 80 Lok Sabha seats at stake in Uttar Pradesh, polling for which will be held across all seven phases starting April 11.

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