Days before the first phase of UP polls on February 10, Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) president Jayant Chaudhary met Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) chief Naresh Tikait at his residence at Sisauli in Muzaffarnagar where he sought and appeared to get his blessings.
Naresh Tikait, who is also the chaudhary of the Balyan khap (clan-based council), blessed Jayant Chaudhary by placing his hand on the RLD leader’s head during the interaction on Sunday. Balyan khap is the biggest khap in the region and its clan members reside in 84 villages.
RLD leader Jayant Chaudhary is touring the assembly constituencies of Muzaffarnagar, Shamli and Meerut districts since Sunday in connection with the UP polls and visited Sisauli to meet Naresh TIkait in between.
Jayant Chaudhary tweeted a photograph in which he is seen offering “ghee” at the Amar Kisan Jyoti at Sisauli while paying tribute to farmer leader the late Mahendra Singh Tikait in the presence of his son Naresh Tikait.
Naresh Tikait’s blessings are expected to help Jayant Chaudhary strengthen his position among farmers in the UP polls.
Jayant Chaudhary, thereafter, had lunch with Naresh Tikait. In another photograph, Naresh Tikait is seen blessing the RLD chief by placing his hand on his head. Naresh Tikait’s son Gaurav Tikait is seen with his father in the photograph.
{{/usCountry}}Jayant Chaudhary, thereafter, had lunch with Naresh Tikait. In another photograph, Naresh Tikait is seen blessing the RLD chief by placing his hand on his head. Naresh Tikait’s son Gaurav Tikait is seen with his father in the photograph.
{{/usCountry}}Jayant’s father Chaudhary Ajit Singh, the RLD founder, died of Covid-19 last year. Ajit Singh, a former Union minister, had lost the election for the Muzaffarnagar Lok Sabha to Union minister Sanjeev Balyan in 2019.
In the past, Naresh Tikait had said that farmers supported the BJP in the 2014, 2017 and 2019 elections, helping it register a big win each time. But during the farmers’ agitation last year, the BKU chief said that supporting the BJP was a mistake.
Naresh Tikait has also admitted many times in the past that defeating Ajit Singh in his last election was a “big mistake”.