The Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) announced its candidates for the Baghpat and Bijnor Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, marking a strategic seat-sharing arrangement with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The senior RLD leader Rajkumar Sangwan, who has been associated with the party since its inception by Ajit Singh, will be contesting from the Baghpat seat. This constituency was previously held by BJP's Satya Pal Singh in both the 2014 and 2019 elections. The Baghpat seat has a historical significance for the RLD, being a stronghold that elected Ajit Singh seven times between 1989 and 2009.
Chandan Chauhan, the current MLA from UP's Meerapur Assembly segment, has been nominated to contest from the Bijnor Lok Sabha seat. In the 2019 elections, this seat was secured by Malook Nagar of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). Chandan Chauhan is the son of Sanjay Singh Chauhan, who emerged victorious in the Bijnor Lok Sabha seat in 2009. The announcement puts an end to speculations about Jayant Chaudhary, a Rajya Sabha MP and party leader, being a candidate.
Following the candidate announcement, Jayant Chaudhary took to X (formerly Twitter), seeking support for all three candidates and expressing gratitude for keeping the RLD flag high. He emphasized their commitment to addressing farmers' concerns.
The RLD's political trajectory gained attention last month when it aligned with the opposition INDIA bloc. The subsequent posthumous awarding of the Bharat Ratna to Chaudhary Charan Singh, Jayant Chaudhary's grandfather and former Prime Minister, further solidified the RLD's alignment with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The party's move to the NDA was officially confirmed by BJP chief JP Nadda, who welcomed Jayant Chaudhary's decision.
While the RLD's departure from the INDIA bloc may not be as significant as the exit of the JDU, it holds significance due to Uttar Pradesh's political importance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The state contributes 80 seats to the parliament, with the BJP securing 62 seats in the 2019 elections. The RLD's influence among the Jat community in western UP is expected to bolster the BJP's electoral standing as it aims for a target of 400 seats for the NDA.