Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday said “the alliance with the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) is intact and with the Indian National Developmental, Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) focused on the PDA (Backwards, Dalit and Minorities) constituency in U.P., the alliance will sweep all 80 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.” Mr Yadav was speaking in Banda where he was addressing an SP workers camp.
The SP president alleged the ruling BJP had failed U.P. on all fronts. “People are looking for an alternative and waiting for elections to overthrow the BJP as the ruling party has failed to deliver on every parameter of development,” added Mr. Yadav.
The BJP has been sending feelers to the RLD and selling a BJP-RLD alliance as a win-win deal. The RLD is preparing to contest 12 Lok Sabha seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Speculation on the RLD exploring options with the BJP gained weight after party chief Jayant Chaudhary abstained from voting on the Delhi services bill in the Rajya Sabha citing a health emergency involving his wife. Also a delegation of party MLAs met Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Despite the feelers by the BJP and its RS abstention, the RLD maintains that it is part of the SP-led alliance and in the INDIA opposition block which includes the Congress. The RLD president Jayant Chaudhary confirmed participation in INDIA’s meeting in Mumbai, scheduled for August 31 and September 1.