More bad news for INDIA, RLD’s Jayant Chaudhary may join NDA, say sources
In a potential setback to the Opposition’s INDIA bloc, Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) leader Jayant Chaudhary is reportedly in talks with the BJP for a possible alliance in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
According to sources close to the development, the BJP has offered RLD four Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, namely Kairana, Baghpat, Mathura, and Amroha.
Sources also said that Jayant Chaudhary met with a senior BJP leader in Delhi on Tuesday, fuelling speculation that the two parties may be considering joining hands with mere months to go to the crucial polls.
Without directly referring to the buzz about a rift, Samajwadi Party (SP) supremo Akhilesh Yadav said, “Jayant Chaudhary is a very straight forward and well-educated person, and he understands politics… I hope that he will not let the farmers’ fight weaken.”
As a crucial ally of the Samajwadi Party, Chaudhary’s potential switch to the NDA would deal another blow to the INDIA bloc, which is already reeling from JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar’s defection amid rumblings of rebellion from Trinamool Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party.
Jayant Chaudhary also appears to be distancing himself from the coalition. He recently postponed a rally in Uttar Pradesh’s Chhaprauli, where a statue of his grandfather, Chaudhary Charan Singh, was to be unveiled. Officially, the event was delayed due to unsuitable ground conditions, but insiders suggest the move is related to the rumoured alliance talks.
There is also buzz that Prime Minister Narendra Modi could attend the rally if an agreement between the BJP and RLD is reached.
Chaudhary’s absence from Parliament in recent days is being interpreted as a sign of his inclination towards joining hands with the ruling party.
Additionally, lack of clarity regarding seat allocation within the SP-RLD alliance has reportedly strained Jayant Chaudhary and Akhilesh Yadav’s relationship.
On January 19, the SP and RLD reached a seat-sharing arrangement, granting seven seats to Chaudhary’s party. However, disagreements arose over three constituencies — Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, and Kairana — where the SP expressed a desire to field its candidates under the RLD banner, leading to internal discord within RLD ranks.
Speaking to Aaj Tak/India Today, SP leader Shivpal Singh Yadav dismissed claims of a rumoured alliance between the RLD and the BJP. He asserted that the rumours were a fabrication by the BJP. “RLD is with us and will remain with us in future elections too. There is no need to pay attention to these discussions, we will fight the elections together and defeat BJP,” he said.
This political manoeuvring comes as the Congress and SP are engaged in their own seat-sharing discussions for Uttar Pradesh’s 80 Lok Sabha seats. The SP has declared candidates for 16 seats and proposed 11 for Congress, which is aiming to contest on 25.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress secured a single seat, while the SP, allied with Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party, won five. The SP now seeks to contest 65 seats.