The Apna Dal was founded by Sonelal Patel in 1995. Born on July 2, 1950 in Bagulihai village in Kannauj district, Sonelal Patel was a close companion of Bahujan Samaj Party founder Kanshi Ram. He died in a road accident in 2009. In October 2014, fissures within the Apna Dal became public for the first time as its then-national general secretary Anupriya Patel was removed from her post.
