In yet another setback to the I.N.D.I.A bloc, the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) is set to partner with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, sources said. They further said that RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary met with BJP leaders who was offered at least four seats in Western Uttar Pradesh the saffron party. Thus, it is believed that the alliance of RLD and Samajwadi Party (SP) will break and the former will form an alliance with BJP.
RLD-SP alliance in jeopardy!
According to sources, the SP has set a condition to contest its candidates but on RLD's symbol in Kairana, Muzaffarnagar and Bijnor. While the RLD has agreed to this arrangement for Kairana and Bijnor, but not for Muzaffarnagar. The RLD is adamant about its stance, citing significant reasons for its reluctance to concede Muzaffarnagar.
Notably, in the previous election, Chaudhary Ajit Singh of the RLD lost this constituency by a narrow margin of only 6,500 votes to Dr Sanjeev Baliyan of the BJP. Furthermore, the RLD currently holds two out of the five assembly seats within the Muzaffarnagar Lok Sabha constituency, namely Budhana and Khatauli.
Lok Sabha elections 2024
It should be noted here that general elections are expected to be held in India between April and May to elect the members of the 18th Lok Sabha. The tenure of the 17th Lok Sabha is scheduled to end in the month of June. The previous general elections were held in April–May 2019. After the elections, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance formed the government at the Centre, with Narendra Modi continuing as Prime Minister for the second straight term.
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