Out of pact, RLD may join hands with Congress

Miffed at being ignored by twin gathbandhan partners, Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav, who apportioned most of the 80 seats among themselves and left just two for ‘other partners’ and two for Congress, the Ajit Singh-led Jat-dominated Rashtriya Lok Dal opened up back-channel negotiations with other non-BJP political parties, including Congress.

RLD vice-president Jayant Chaudhary, who had met SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and sought at least six seats, including Muzaffarnagar, Baghpat, Bulandshahr, Amroha, Mathura and Bijnor, skipped a bike rally organised in Lucknow on Saturday as the party’s show of strength and instead went to Noida and held a public contact programme.

Sources in RLD said the leadership was looking at ‘all options’ to keep the morale of its cadre high. RLD chief Ajit Singh had maintained the seat sharing deal with SP-BSP combine was out of context at this juncture. “We will decide our future course of action,” he had said on Friday.


While Jayant and Ajit were not available for comment, sources said the party may join hands with Congress like in 2014 Lok Sabha elections when it contested eight seats.

RLD state president Masood Ahmad told TOI the party was open to all options and would ally with like-minded parties. “The final call will be taken by party leadership,” he said on Saturday. Political circles were abuzz about BJP reaching out to Ajit Singh through its leaders in west UP. RLD’s lone MLA, Sahendra Singh Ramala from Chhaprauli assembly seat in Baghpat, an RLD stronghold, had switched over to BJP last year.