RASHTRIYA LOK Dal (RLD) president Chaudhary Ajit Singh launched a damage- control exercise on Thursday to keep RLD MLAs together for the Rajya Sabha and Vidhan Parishad elections.
Resentment is brewing among party MLAs from Agra division at their neglect in distribution of government largesse.
One of the party’s 15 MLAs Samarpal Singh has already been suspended for anti-party activities. Besides, the remaining 14 legislators, RLD nominee Mahmood Madni will require 23 votes from the SP.
Amidst apprehension of cross-voting, the party leadership appears to be quite jittery over the support of its few MLAs.
Sources said some MLAs from Agra division were not happy with the leadership because of the preference given to leaders from Meerut division. “It is time to pay back,” commented a dissident MLA. Thus, during the meeting, Ajit Singh asked the MLAs to be alert and try to mobilise votes from other sources.
Despite an assurance from SP deputy leader and Revenue Minister Ambika Chaudhary about the party’s support, Ajit did not appear to be confident.
The RLD has asked the SP to allocate MLAs from the “original SP group” and not from among the BSP defectors. In fact, the RLD has gambled by fielding a senior Muslim cleric, who is also general secretary of the All India Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, without the assured strength of MLAs to win the election. Madni had lost the Lok Sabha election on the RLD ticket from Amroha.
{{/usCountry}}The RLD has asked the SP to allocate MLAs from the “original SP group” and not from among the BSP defectors. In fact, the RLD has gambled by fielding a senior Muslim cleric, who is also general secretary of the All India Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, without the assured strength of MLAs to win the election. Madni had lost the Lok Sabha election on the RLD ticket from Amroha.
{{/usCountry}}