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The Congress has renewed its existing alliance with Ajit Singh’s Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) in Uttar Pradesh.
AICC General Secretary Madhusudan Mistry told reporters on Monday that the RLD would contest eight seats in the state, while the Mahan Dal led by Keshav Maurya would contest three.
The eight seats given to RLD are Fatehpur Sikri, Kairana, Baghpat, Bulandshahr, Mathura, Hathras, Bijnore and Amroha, all in western UP, which accounts for 25 of the total 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state.
The Mahan Dal, which has the support of the Shakya, Maurya and Kushwaha catses, has a strong presence among ‘non-Yadav’ and ‘non-Lodh’ voters in the region.
Mistry also indicated that the Apna Dal, which has the backing of the Kurmis, could be roped in to ensure an umbrella alliance of Jats-Kurmis and some non-Yadav OBC communities to bolster the support base of the Congress.
Also on Monday, former Samajwadi Party members Amar Singh and Jaya Prada, were formally inducted into the RLD.
