RLD rubbishes reports of split in party

Lucknow, March 27 (IANS) The Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) has rubbished all rumours of a possible split in the party, following its under-performance in recent elections.

Dismissing all such "rumours", RLD national secretary Anil Dubey said, "The MLAs have reposed full faith in party president Jayant Chaudhary and have authorised him to elect their leader. Such rumours are being spread by vested interests."

Eight newly-elected MLAs of the RLD on Saturday met party president Jayant Chaudhary in Lucknow and later met Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav at the SP headquarters.

The RLD, which won eight seats in the recent assembly elections, is "not demoralised" with its performance and is looking towards improving its performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The party has got nearly 3 per cent vote share and has emerged as the fourth largest party in the state ahead of Congress and BSP.

In 2017, the RLD could win only one seat, Chhaprauli, and its lone MLA Sahendar Singh Ramala, happily hopped across to the BJP months later.

Another senior RLD leader said the focus of the party has now shifted to the Lok Sabha polls in 2024.

"We need to strengthen the party, and it was discussed during the meeting too. We will take steps to ensure our party's performance is good in the 2024 elections," said the leader.

"The eight RLD MLAs are equal to 80 who will work as the voice of the youths and the unemployed, along with farmers and labourers of Uttar Pradesh and will keep a close watch on the issues of public interest in line with our 'sankalp patra'," the party chief has said.

Jayant has already set up a committee to review the poll performance. On March 14, he had dissolved all RLD units and frontal organisations as part of a post-poll reorganisation drive.