RLD tilts towards BJP, as SP mends ties with CONGRESS inUttar Pradesh

The gulf between the Samajwadi Party (SP) and its ally Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) seem to be widening, as SP, which is part of the INDIA alliance, aspires its candidates to contest elections from Muzaffarnagar, Kairana, and Bijnor Lok Sabha seats on the RLD symbol – a change that may have upset Jayant Chaudhary. The speculation about the RLD and its chief Jayant Chaudhary’s potential switch to the BJP-led NDA comes close on the heels of Samajwadi Party highlighting a positive signal to the grand old party, with Akhilesh Yadav accepting an invite by the Congress to join the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra that is entering Uttar Pradesh. The BJP has offered four Lok Sabha seats – Kairana, Baghpat, Mathura, and Amroha – to RLD in Uttar Pradesh besides an offer of a ministerial berth at the center and one in Lucknow. While RLD president Jayant Chaudhary, who was elected Rajya Sabha member from Uttar Pradesh in 2022 with the SP’s support, has been maintaining silence on the recent reports of meetings with the BJP. Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday said the BJP knows how to break parties and when and whom to ‘buy’. He also accused the ruling party of misusing central agencies like ED, CBI and Income-tax. Meanwhile, Congress and the SP are currently engaged in discussions to decide on the seat share in UP, which has 80 Lok Sabha seats. The SP has already declared candidates for 16 seats and offered 11 seats to Congress, which is seeking to contest 20 seats.