Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) has officially formed an alliance with Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party—though its chief Jayant Chaudhary is reported to have said he would personally not contest the upcoming UP assembly polls
It’s learnt that Chaudhary met Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow on January 7. The two leaders discussed seat-sharing amongst the two parties.
The RLD could fight from 24 seats in western Uttar Pradesh in alliance with Samajwadi Party.
However, a report in Jansatta says the two parties haven’t quite agreed to seat-sharing numbers. RLD wants to fight from 40 seats in alliance with SP.
Yadav shared a post on twitter where he shared a picture of the two leader meeting.
The region is important for both parties. It’s known for the influence of the Jat community. Yadav and Chaudhary also discussed the strengthening of the Jat and Muslim combination.
The RLD had previously sided with the BJP and with the Congress for its fight in the western region of the state.
Also present in the meeting was farmer leader Sompal Shastri whoa defeated Chaudhary Ajit Singh in a Lok Sabha election to become the agriculture minister in the BJP-led government under the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.
Shastri is known for his experience and knowledge of the western UP electoral scene and had met Jayant Chaudhary last year.
