The opposition bloc I.N.D.I.A. may face another jolt in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections as rumors suggest that Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Jayant Chaudhary could join the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). According to ABP News sources, the RLD has been offered three Lok Sabha seats and one Rajya Sabha seat by the BJP. However, there has been no confirmation from either side. The BJP has proposed four Lok Sabha seats - Kairana, Baghpat, Mathura, and Amroha - to the RLD in Uttar Pradesh.


If the rumors turn out to be true, then trouble could escalate further for I.N.D.I.A., a bloc formed by the opposition parties to take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP, which recently witnessed the exit of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who joined the NDA and became the Chief Minister of Bihar for the ninth time.


Jayant Chaudhary Will Not Let Fight For Farmers Weaken: Akhilesh Yadav 


Amid reports of Chaudhary planning to join forces with the NDA, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav stated on Wednesday that he is an educated person and he will not let the fight for farmers weaken. "Jayant Chaudhary is an educated person, and he understands politics really well. I am hopeful that he will not let the fight for farmers weaken," Akhilesh Yadav said, as quoted by news agency ANI.


It is worth mentioning that nearly three weeks ago, Yadav announced his party’s alliance with the RLD for the LS polls, which are slated to take place in April-May this year. RLD agreed to fight in alliance on 7 to 8 seats out of the 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh, with most of the seats in Western UP, ANI reported, citing sources.


The Samajwadi Party is also striking an alliance with the Congress for the upcoming polls, with the grand old party expected to contest 11 seats.


BJP Is Misleading Media: Shivpal Yadav  


The SP chief’s wife and Samajwadi Party MP, Dimple Yadav, also exuded confidence that Chaudhary won't take such a decision.


While speaking to reporters in Parliament in the national capital, Dimple Yadav said, “The way the Bharatiya Janata Party has been working against the farmers and the way our wrestlers have been insulted by the BJP, I don't think RLD national president Jayant Chaudhary will take any step that will damage our farmers directly," as quoted by ANI.


Apart from this, Samajwadi Party leader Shivpal Yadav also said that RLD will remain in the INDIA bloc fold. "I know Jayant (Singh) very well. They are secular people. The BJP is only misleading the media. They (the RLD) will remain in the I.N.D.I.A. alliance and defeat the BJP," he said, as quoted by ANI. SP and RLD had contested the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections 2022 together.


RLD’s Election History 


UP Assembly Elections


In 2002, RLD fought the UP Assembly elections on 38 seats in coalition with the BJP and bagged 14 of them. In the succeeding assembly polls in 2007, RLD went solo on 254 seats and managed to win 10 of them.


In 2012, Jayant Chaudhary-led party fought UP polls in coalition with the Congress on 46 seats, managing to win 9 of them.


The UP assembly polls 2017 was a huge upset for the RLD as it registered a win on merely one seat out of the 277 contested.


In 2022, the RLD went with SP and won 8 out of 33 seats it contested.


Lok Sabha Polls


In 1999 Lok Sabha elections, RLD won 2 seats out of the 15 contested. In 2004, RLD fought polls in coalition with the SP and won three out of 10 seats.


In 2009, the party went with the BJP and won five out of seven seats. The LS polls 2014 which the RLD fought in coalition with the Congress was the party’s worst performance as it did not manage to bag even a single seat. The poor run continued for the RLD in 2019 general elections as it failed to open its account yet again.