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 for 25 seats in the 2027 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. He said that while RPI (A) prefers to contest in alliance with the 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 ahead of the 2027 assembly polls. Addressing a press conference in Lucknow, Athawale said RPI(A) has already established its organisational presence across 62 districts in UP and is working to strengthen its base among marginalised communities, particularly Dalits, by upholding the principles of Dr BR Ambedkar. He asserted that the BSP has lost its mass base, creating an opportunity for RPI (A) to consolidate Dalit votes in favour of the NDA. htc...