RLD chief to attend Opposition bloc INDIA’s third meeting in Mumbai

RLD dismisses NDA speculation; to attend INDIA meet. RLD to contest 12 LS seats in UP, preps underway. MLAs meet UP CM for development work, no speculation. BJP outreach to RLD due to recent electoral losses.

The Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) on Thursday dismissed speculation about it joining the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and said its president Chaudhary Jayant Singh will be participating in the third meeting of the Opposition bloc, the Indian National Developmental, Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), in Mumbai on August 31 and September 1.

A delegation of RLD MLAs had met Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday, setting off speculation that the party might join the BJP-led NDA. Mr. Singh had also skipped the voting in the Rajya Sabha on the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023, which members of the INDIA alliance had opposed.

“Our leader will participate in the Opposition meeting to be held in Mumbai. We are a part of the Opposition bloc and speculation of us joining hands with the BJP is far from the truth. Such rumours are spread by the ruling party to create confusion,” RLD national spokesperson Anil Dubey said.

On the 2024 Lok Sabha poll, Mr. Dubey said the RLD is preparing to contest 12 of the 80 parliamentary seats in Uttar Pradesh. “Preparation is in progress to contest 12 Lok Sabha seats. The final decision will be taken by our national president,” he said.

Playing down the meeting of the party’s MLAs with Mr. Adityanath, Mr. Dubey said, “It is natural for MLAs to meet the Chief Minister over development work in their constituencies. There should be no speculation over this meeting.”

The BJP has been reaching out to the RLD and describing a possible alliance a “win-win deal” for both parties. The outreach seems to stem from the recent electoral results in western U.P. The BJP had lost seven out of the 10 chairperson seats in elections to the nagar palika parishads and nagar panchayats in Muzaffarnagar district in this year’s local body polls.

In the 2022 Assembly poll, the RLD in alliance with the Samajwadi Party had prevailed over the BJP in seven out of the nine seats in Muzaffarnagar and Shamli districts. The BJP also lost the Khatauli Assembly seat to the RLD in last year’s bypoll.