Days after the BJP won Uttar Pradesh for a second term with a huge majority, Jayant Chaudhary's RLD made a big announcement on Monday on dissolving party units in the state. Chaudhary fought the state polls in alliance with Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party. “As per the instructions of the national president of Rashtriya Lok Dal, Chaudhary Jayant Singh ji, the state, regional and district units and all frontal units are being dissolved with immediate effect,” a tweet in Hindi read. The reason for the big move was not shared.
The RLD won eight seats while the Samajwadi Party won 111 seats in the state elections. Jayant Chaudhary's party's vote share in the state was 2.89 per cent while the SP registered a vote share of 32.1 per cent.
Ahead of the state elections, Chaudhary had said that he had turned down an offer to join the BJP alliance. “We are not a ‘chavanni’ (coin) that will flip. The BJP should not take us lightly. We don’t change our decision,” he had said at the time. “Where were they when the incident in Lakhimpur Kheri occurred? Where were they when people were lathicharged and stopped from going to Hathras?,” he had asked, referring to farmers' killing in Lakhimpur and the Hathras rape case.
The 43-year-old Jat leader had earlier also slammed the ruling party over farmers' protest. Jats consitute more than 10 per cent of the state population, according to rought estimates, and western UP is believed to be the RLD's stronghold.
{{/usCountry}}The 43-year-old Jat leader had earlier also slammed the ruling party over farmers' protest. Jats consitute more than 10 per cent of the state population, according to rought estimates, and western UP is believed to be the RLD's stronghold.
{{/usCountry}}Akhilesh Yadav last week said that this time the state election results have proven that the BJP's seats can be reduced. The party had won 325 seats last time with its allies, which is now down to 273.