RLD FOR CONTINUATION OF ALLIANCE WITH SP

LUCKNOW:The Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) is looking for continuation of its alliance with the Samajwadi Party (SP) for the assembly by-elections that will be held in the state on October 21.

The SP, BSP and the RLD together contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections but the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) announced termination of the alliance after the results.

The RLD won zero seats and the SP could manage win only on five seats in the Lok Sabha elections. Its chief Ajit Singh and his son and vice-president Jayant Chaudhary lost in close contest to BJP candidates on Muzaffarnagar and Baghpat Parliamentary seats respectively.

“We would like our alliance with the SP to continue in the bypolls as well and SP leader Akhilesh Yadav and Jayant Chaudhary will take a decision in this regard very soon,” a senior RLD leader said.

Assembly constituencies which had fallen vacant following the election of sitting MLAs to Parliament and will go to bypolls are Manikpur, Iglas (SC), Zaidpur (SC), Gangoh, Balha (SC), Rampur, Jalalpur, Pratapgarh, Lucknow Cantonment, Govindnagar and Tundla (SC). The RLD, according to sources, wants to stake its claim to Iglas under Aligarh district and Gangoh in Saharanpur. Both the seats fall in the western UP where the RLD still has some influence. Out of alliance, the party may, however, contest the Iglas seat only.

“If our alliance does not continue with the SP, we would like to contest and focus on the Iglas seat,” the RLD leader said. Though a reserved constituency, Iglas has a sizable Jat population and used to be RLD’s stronghold till 2012 assembly polls when party’s Triloki Ram registered victory.

THE RLD, ACCORDING TO SOURCES, WANTS TO STAKE ITS CLAIM TO IGLAS UNDER ALIGARH DISTRICT AND GANGOH IN SAHARANPUR.