INDIA bloc partners SP, RLD seal seat-sharing pact in UP

LUCKNOW: The Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) on Friday announced their alliance for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh after holding seat-sharing talks. Both SP president Akhilesh Yadav and RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary took to social media platform X to announce the tie-up formally.

The announcement was made even as the Samajwadi Party is still in talks with the Congress over the issue.

All the three parties — SP, RLD and Congress — are part of the opposition’s INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) bloc.

“Congratulations to everyone on the alliance of RLD and SP. Let us all unite for victory,” Yadav said in a post on X. Reposting this tweet, Chaudhary said, “Always ready to protect national and constitutional values. We expect all workers of our alliance to move forward together for the development and prosperity of our region.”

As per the SP-RLD accord, the RLD would contest seven seats, all in western UP which is its stronghold.

Sources of both parties did not reveal the seats spared by the SP for the RLD. However, the RLD, known to be a Jat party, is likely to field its candidates in Muzaffarnagar, Kairana, Bijnore, Mathura, Baghpat, Amroha and Meerut — all having a dominant Jat community.