Not joining BJP, will attend next meeting of opposition leaders: RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary

Baghpat (UP): Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Jayant Chaudhary on Monday rubbished speculation that he is cosying up to the BJP and said he will attend the next meeting of opposition leaders.

After NCP leader Ajit Pawar split the party and joined the BJP-Shiv Sena government in Maharashtra, Union minister Ramdas Athawale had said a similar situation can occur in Uttar Pradesh and "Jayant Chaudhary can join the NDA as he did not attend the Patna opposition meeting." "My stand is absolutely clear. How does it matter what they say?" the RLD leader told reporters when asked about Athawale's remarks.

Chaudhary, whose party had fought the 2022 UP Assembly polls in alliance with the Samajwadi Party, had skipped the opposition leaders' meeting in Patna on June 23, citing preoccupation with a family event.

The RLD chief on Monday said that he "will attend the next meeting of the opposition leaders".

Asked about the political developments in Maharashtra, he said, "See, this is not an issue.  Such things happen. This is not happening for the first time in politics.

"The public will deliver its verdict in 2024. The public is not a key in anyone's hands. It will deliver the mandate." The next meeting of the opposition parties will be held in Bengaluru on July 17 and 18. Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal had made the announcement on Twitter.

After a hugely successful All-Opposition meeting in Patna, we will be holding the next meeting in Bengaluru on 17 and 18 July, 2023.

We are steadfast in our unwavering resolve to defeat the fascist and undemocratic forces and present a bold vision to take the country forward.

— K C Venugopal (@kcvenugopalmp) July 3, 2023

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) saw a split on Sunday with party chief Sharad Pawar's nephew Ajit Pawar along with 8 MLAs joining the Eknath Shinde government in Maharashtra.

Union minister Ramdas Athawale had said, "Maharashtra-like situation may erupt in Bihar and UP as many MLAs are unhappy with Nitish Kumar joining hands with RJD. Similarly in UP, Jayant Chaudhary can join the NDA, as he did not attend the Patna opposition meeting." SBSP President Om Prakash Rajbhar has also claimed that nearly 80 Samajwadi Party MLAs are in touch with him.

He said, "A large number of people are in touch. They are miffed with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav over the issue of joining hands with KCR, Mamata Banerjee, Tejashwi Yadav".

Having considerable support in the western UP, the RLD currently has nine MLAs in the 403-member UP Legislative Assembly.

RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary was elected to Rajya Sabha from UP with the help of the SP.

An alleged rift between SP and RLD  had surfaced during the civic elections in Uttar Pradesh.

In the recently-concluded civic elections, the alliance partners fought against each other for seats in municipal corporations, nagar mahapanchayat, and nagar panchayats.

The two parties have been allies since 2017 when the BJP came to power in Uttar Pradesh.