Pact picks up pace with RLD-SP meet
Pervez Siddiqui | TNN | Jan 9, 2019, 06:43 IST
Akhilesh Yadav (File photo)LUCKNOW: While the momentum for a SP-BSP gathbandhan picks up pace in Uttar Pradesh, the first round of seat-sharing negotiations took off on Tuesday with national vice-president of Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) Jayant Chaudhary calling on Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow.
RLD expressed its desire to contest five seats, including Baghpat, Mathura, Muzaffarnagar, Hathras and Amroha that have a sizeable Jat population and catapult it into an unbeatable combination with Muslim voter support in each of five seats. During the 90-minute meeting, the spotlight remained on Baghpat, Mathura and Muzaffarnagar as RLD won two of three seats in the past and came a close second in Muzaffarnagar in 2009. However, sources said, RLD may have to be content with only three seats. RLD leaders are learnt to have told the SP chief the party was keen to contest Baghpat, which sent party president Ajit Singh to the Lok Sabha six times.
RLD chief Ajit Singh’s son Jayant Chaudhary with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow
Singh had got third spot in 2014
However, the 2014 saffron surge pushed Singh to a third position. Mathura also remains the party’s favourite as Ajit Singh’s son Jayant represented the constituency in 2009 general elections. RLD also wants to stake claim on Muzaffarnagar, where it came a close second in 2009, polling 34.19% votes, when BSP’s Kadir Rana was declared elected with 36.96% votes.
Refusing to divulge details, SP MLC Sanjay Lathar, who was present at the meeting, said discussions concluded on a positive note. “It was the first round of talks to take forward the gathbandhan in UP,” said RLD national spokesperson Anil Dubey.
RLD expressed its desire to contest five seats, including Baghpat, Mathura, Muzaffarnagar, Hathras and Amroha that have a sizeable Jat population and catapult it into an unbeatable combination with Muslim voter support in each of five seats. During the 90-minute meeting, the spotlight remained on Baghpat, Mathura and Muzaffarnagar as RLD won two of three seats in the past and came a close second in Muzaffarnagar in 2009. However, sources said, RLD may have to be content with only three seats. RLD leaders are learnt to have told the SP chief the party was keen to contest Baghpat, which sent party president Ajit Singh to the Lok Sabha six times.
RLD chief Ajit Singh’s son Jayant Chaudhary with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow
Singh had got third spot in 2014
However, the 2014 saffron surge pushed Singh to a third position. Mathura also remains the party’s favourite as Ajit Singh’s son Jayant represented the constituency in 2009 general elections. RLD also wants to stake claim on Muzaffarnagar, where it came a close second in 2009, polling 34.19% votes, when BSP’s Kadir Rana was declared elected with 36.96% votes.
Refusing to divulge details, SP MLC Sanjay Lathar, who was present at the meeting, said discussions concluded on a positive note. “It was the first round of talks to take forward the gathbandhan in UP,” said RLD national spokesperson Anil Dubey.
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