Lucknow: The Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) announced that it has decided to contest the upcoming Assembly elections in Jharkhand and Maharashtra. Addressing a press conference here on Saturday, the party's National General Secretary (Organisation), Trilok Tyagi, said the preparations regarding the polls in the two states had already started.
However, he did not reveal whether the party would contest the elections alone or in alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The RJD is one of the constituents of the BJP-led NDA and won two seats in Uttar Pradesh in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Tyagi, who attended a conference at the state office, said that the party has plans to expand its reach in other states. It is also organising a conference in Uttarakhand on September 27.
Apart from this, the party is strengthening its organisational structure in Uttar Pradesh, he said. The RLD has not fielded any candidate in the Haryana elections, but has fielded 12 candidates in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections. Currently, the party is in talks with the BJP for a decision on the by-elections to be held on 10 seats in Uttar Pradesh.
Tyagi said that the party was hopeful of good performance in these states as it had always fought for the interests of minorities and farmers. "We will strongly raise the demands of minorities everywhere. If needed, we will talk to everyone from the Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to Prime Minister Narendra Modi," he said.
