Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) Seeks Expansion to Haryana and Punjab
The Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), led by Union Minister Jayant Chaudhary, is eyeing expansion into Haryana and Punjab. The party, which has a strong base in western Uttar Pradesh, hopes to leverage the respect commanded by Chaudhary’s grandfather, former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh, among farmers in these states.
On Sunday, the RLD appointed former MLA Jagjeet Singh Sangwan as its Haryana president and announced that its Punjab president would be announced after a meeting in Ludhiana on May 4. The party also sent Cabinet Minister Anil Kumar and General Secretary Trilok Tyagi to Chandigarh to announce Sangwan’s appointment, popularly known as Jaggi, who won the Charkhi Dadri seat in 2000 on a Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) ticket and was previously with the Congress.
"We will contest the Punjab Assembly polls in 2027. Whether we will contest the election alone or in alliance with any party will be declared later. We will contest the next Assembly elections in Haryana too. But the issue of an alliance would be decided ahead of the polls only," said Tyagi.
Under Chaudhary’s leadership, the RLD’s state units are being formed across the country. So far, state units have been established in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Kerala, and Telangana. A meeting of the party will be held in Ludhiana, Punjab, where many leaders from the state will join the RLD, and the Punjab state executive will be formed shortly thereafter.
The RLD will mainly bank on Jat and Jat Sikh votes to expand in these two states, as these communities form a significant chunk of the electorate there, like in West UP and Rajasthan. In Haryana, the party will look to establish its presence in the constituencies of Jind, Charkhi Dadri, Bhiwani, Rohtak, Hisar, Sirsa, Sonipat, Jhajjar, and Panipat, which have a sizable chunk of Jat voters.
The RLD hopes to reach out to aggrieved farmers on the plank of Charan Singh’s legacy, reflecting on the past where the INLD made a similar mistake by attempting to expand its base in Uttar Pradesh in early 2000. Despite significant investments, the party failed to make any impact there. Jayant should focus on western Uttar Pradesh to remain relevant in politics.
Some are seeing the BJP’s hand behind the RLD’s expansion plans. Aam Aadmi Party national media in-charge Anurag Dhanda said, "Today, some political parties are dancing to the tunes of the BJP. The BJP is using those parties as their proxy, they dont have any recognition in Punjab and Haryana. Punjab too has no space for either the BJP or for its pawns."
Reference : https://indianexpress.com/article/political-pulse/jayant-chaudhary-rld-west-up-haryana-punjab-9969575/
