Amid speculation of the Rashtriya Lok Dal joining the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, RLD leaders in western Uttar Pradesh said it would be “better (to) wait for a day or two” before the picture becomes clearer.
A senior party leader said, “I am totally unaware and only (RLD chief) Jayant Choudhary can brief about it.”
Chaudhary on Saturday praised the Modi government for honouring his grandfather and former prime minister Chaudhary Charan Singh with the Bharat Ratna posthumously.
On Friday, after the announcement that Bharat Ratna will be conferred on Chaudhary Charan Singh, Jayant Chaudhary had said “Dil jeet liya (They have won my heart)”.
For their part, RLD leaders in western U.P. said the party chief has not shared details of the seat-sharing arrangement.
Party insiders said that BJP wanted to give two seats to RLD in Lok Sabha election. They claimed Jayant Choudhary is not ready to settle for only two seats, which does not include the Muzaffarnagar seat where Jayant’s father Chaudhary Ajit Singh fought his last election in 2019, losing by a margin of a few thousand votes.
Party leaders here also said the RLD has so far not made any official announcement about celebrating the birth anniversary of Chaudhary Ajit Singh on February 12.
{{/usCountry}}Party leaders here also said the RLD has so far not made any official announcement about celebrating the birth anniversary of Chaudhary Ajit Singh on February 12.
{{/usCountry}}Senior party leader and former MLA Rajendra Sharma said, “Party leaders and workers will gather at the (party) office of each district and pay homage to the departed leader.”
He said a grand programme would be organised later when the statue of Chaudhary Ajit Singh would be installed and inaugurated at Chaprauli town in Baghpat district.
Party leaders were expecting grand celebrations on Ajit Singh’s birth anniversary to reach out to the party’s core base of farmers after Bharat Ratna was declared for Chaudhary Charan Singh, an undisputed leader of farmers and labourers.
Earlier, it was decided to organise a mega celebration on February 12 in Chaprauli where Jayant Choudhary was supposed to unveil a statue of Ajit Singh ahead of launching the Lok Sabha election campaign.
The programme was, however, cancelled amid the ongoing buzz of an alliance with the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi announcing the Bharat Ratna for Chaudhary Charan Singh.