At a joint event in Meerut district on December 7, Akhilesh Yadav, the leader of the Samajwadi Party (SP), and Jayant Chaudhary, the leader of the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), declared their alliance for the Uttar Pradesh elections 2022. In the same chopper, Yadav and Chaudhary, who has started referring to himself as Jayant Singh, came for the gathering, ‘Parivartan Sandesh,’ in the Dabathua area of Meerut district. Yadav, the former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, spoke at the event, criticising the current BJP for “unfulfilled” electoral pledges and accusing it of polarisation tactics. Yadav’s assault on the BJP occurred on the same day that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was speaking at a rally in Gorakhpur, eastern Uttar Pradesh, after the inauguration of development projects.
Read also: Akhilesh Yadav Hits Out at Yogi During Vijay Yatra
Yadav was alluding to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remark that individuals wearing lal topis (red hats) only cared about lal batti (red beacons) while they were in power, an apparent dig at the state’s former ruling party, the Samajwadi Party (SP). The leaders of the Samajwadi Party, which aligns with socialist doctrine, like red headgear. Chaudhary also tweeted a photo of himself on stage in Meerut with Akhilesh Yadav, saying “thank you, Meerut” in Hindi.
The Samajwadi Party and the RLD have already formed an electoral alliance for the Lok Sabha elections in 2019. The coalition is now attempting to capitalise on animosity over the recently-repealed agricultural rules in western Uttar Pradesh’s farming heartland. On November 23, the two parties signed an electoral alliance ahead of assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh due for early next year. In Uttar Pradesh, the SP is the main opposition party, while the RLD is the regional powerhouse in the state’s western portion. According to sources, the RLD is expected to fight 35-40 seats in partnership with the SP, largely in western Uttar Pradesh.
Read also: UP Elections 2022: Is Akhilesh peaking at the right time?
In the 2017 assembly elections in Western UP, the BJP won 76 seats out of roughly 100. One seat had been gained by the RLD. Since the two parties have been contesting elections together for quite some time, the SP-RLD alliance was expected. Since the 2017 UP assembly elections, the two parties have contested every assembly and Lok Sabha by-election jointly. The SP has already formed an alliance with Om Prakash Rajbhar’s Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) in eastern Uttar Pradesh, as well as a few smaller parties, notably the Mahan Dal.
