New Delhi:
The Rashtriya Lok Dal will join the NDA, party chief Jayant Chaudhary made it clear today, indicating that the deal has been struck with workers and leaders on board. All that remains is the formal announcement, which can be expected soon after his father Ajit Singh's birth anniversary, which is celebrated today.
Asked about reports that his party leaders are not too happy with the decision, Mr Chaudhary said: “I took this decision after talking to all MLAs and workers of my party. There was no major planning behind this decision, we had to make it. decision within a short time due to the situation”.
“We want to do something good for the people,” he added.
#WATCH |Delhi: On joining the NDA, RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary says, “…I took this decision after talking to all the MLAs and workers of my party. There was no major planning behind this decision, we had to make decision within no time.short time due to the situation.We want… pic.twitter.com/oCokYUX8gA
— ANI (@ANI) February 12, 2024
This was Mr Chaudhary's clearest speech on the issue that had so far kept the opposition, especially Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party, in suspense. Asked if he was ready to join the BJP, the 45-year-old on Friday said, “Is there anything left to be done? How can I refuse?”
While the BJP had made its offer to the RLD that week, promising a Rajya Sabha seat, two Lok Sabha seats (probably Baghpat and Bijnor) and two ministerial seats from Uttar Pradesh, Mr Chaudhary was on the verge of acceptance. The BJP then sweetened the deal on Friday with a Bharat Ratna for Chaudhary Charan Singh, former Prime Minister and Mr Chaudhary's grandfather.
“Dil jeet liya mera (They have won my heart),” Jayant Chaudhary had said on the occasion, after which he was asked if he was ready to join the BJP.
The defection of the RLD following Nitish Kumar's footsteps in Bihar will reinforce the perception that the INDIA bloc is a united front and lend credibility to the BJP's divisive claims. Besides Nitish Kumar,
Arvind Kejriwal with his Aam Aadmi Party and Mamata Banerjee with her Trinamool Congress have already done the heavy lifting.
The RLD's change of camp is also likely to cost the bloc a share of Jat votes in western Uttar Pradesh. While the party may not have the clout to win too many seats on its own, Jat support could make the difference between victory and defeat in a handful of seats, including Baghpat, Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Aligarh, Agra and Moradabad.
Western Uttar Pradesh has 29 of the state's 80 seats. The RLD received seven offers from the Samajwadi Party last month, but the lack of clarity on the constituencies had created confusion and uncertainty in the ranks of the RLD.
The Samajwadi Party, which has been in denial so far, is yet to comment on the RLD chief's remarks.