National Desk, 9th February: In a significant political development, Jayant Chaudhary’s Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) has forged an alliance with the BJP in Uttar Pradesh for the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections. According to the agreed-upon seat-sharing arrangement, the RLD will contest two Lok Sabha seats in Baghpat and Bijnor and has also secured a seat in the Rajya Sabha.
Speaking at a press conference, Jayant Chaudhary lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stating that Modi understands the pulse of the nation. He credited Modi’s vision for achieving what no other party had been able to accomplish thus far.
The RLD, known for its influence in western Uttar Pradesh, particularly among the influential Jat community, is expected to bolster the BJP’s prospects in the region. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP faced setbacks in western UP, losing seven out of 16 seats, including all six in the Moradabad division.
This alliance comes amidst ongoing differences within the INDIA bloc over seat sharing in Uttar Pradesh. Talks between the Congress and the Samajwadi Party (SP) have yet to yield a breakthrough, further complicating the opposition’s electoral strategy.
Meanwhile, the SP, under the leadership of Akhilesh Yadav, has announced candidates for 16 seats in Uttar Pradesh, catching the Congress off guard. Earlier indications suggested that the RLD would be allocated seven seats, although specifics regarding constituency allotments remained unclear.
The RLD and the Samajwadi Party have been coalition partners in Uttar Pradesh since the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. While the RLD failed to secure any seats it contested in 2019, the Samajwadi Party emerged victorious in five constituencies.
In the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, the Samajwadi Party won 111 seats out of the 347 it contested, while the RLD secured nine of the 33 constituencies it contested.
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