The Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), under the leadership of Jayant Chaudhary, has officially become a partner in the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Jayant met with BJP President JP Nadda and Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday, following which he made the entry into NDA public.
'Under PM Modi's leadership, India is witnessing parallel progress in development and welfare for the poor! Decided to join NDA after a meeting with Amit Shah and JP Nadda. NDA is prepared to fulfill the pledge of a developed India and the goal of achieving a larger mandate,' wrote Jayant Chaudhary.
Sharing the news of the meeting, JP Nadda wrote, 'Today, in the presence of Home Minister Amit Shah, I met with RLD President Jayant Chaudhary. His decision to join the NDA family is warmly welcomed from the depths of my heart.'
In Uttar Pradesh, the BJP might offer two seats each to the RLD under Jayant Chaudhary as well as Apna Dal Sone Lal led by Anupriya Patel, and one seat each to Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) under leadership of Om Prakash Rajbhar and Nishad Party led by Dr Sanjay Nishad.
Nadda further wrote, 'Under Narendra Modi's leadership, you will contribute significantly to the journey of a developed India and the development of Uttar Pradesh. NDA aiming beyond 400 this time.'
Earlier this year, in February, the Modi government had announced the Bharat Ratna for Jayant Chaudhary's grandfather and former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh. Jayant was visibly moved by the announcement and thanked the PM wholeheartedly. When asked about joining hands with BJP, Jayant implied his indebtedness by stating, 'How can I now refuse?
Alliance with SP dated back to 2018 by-election
It's noteworthy that in Uttar Pradesh, the alliance of RLD and SP dates back to the 2018 Lok Sabha by-elections. SP fielded its candidate Tabassum Hasan from RLD in the Kairana by-election, leading to a remarkable victory. Both parties contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections together where SP allocated three seats to RLD. However, RLD couldn't secure victory in any of them. The 2022 assembly elections were also fought jointly by SP and RLD. Out of the 33 seats offered to RLD by SP, RLD claimed victory on nine.
