GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 1st April. Shahid Siddiqui, the national vice president of the Rashtriya Lok Dal, has resigned from the party and his position following the party’s merger with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) before the Lok Sabha elections.
In a post on X, Siddiqui stated that he resigned because he cannot silently watch the undermining of institutions that have united and made India a great nation.
He mentioned, “Yesterday I resigned from the position of National Vice President of RLD & its membership. Me and my family stood up against Indira’s Emergency & today can’t silently watch undermining of all the institutions which have united & made India one of the great nations of the world. My regards & best wishes to @jayantrld & other colleagues in the party,” on Monday.
Jayant Chaudhary, after much speculation, joined the NDA following the posthumous award of the Bharat Ratna to his late grandfather and former prime minister Chaudhary Charan Singh.
The BJP, aiming to win Western UP and achieve its target of 370 seats, wants to strengthen its support among the Jats, who are the core base of RLD, and secure victory in at least seven seats in the region.
The Jat community holds significant influence in a dozen Lok Sabha and around 40 Assembly seats in West UP. They make up 10 to 15 percent of the population in some 15 districts and have the ability to shape the political landscape.
In 2014, the BJP won 24 out of 27 seats in the region, which decreased to 19 in 2019, with all eight seats going to the SP-BSP alliance.
Siddiqui also wrote a separate post praising Jayant Chaudhary’s dedication to secularism and constitutional values.
He expressed, “Respected Jayantji, we have worked together for 6 long years and have respect for each other. I, for one, look upon you more as a younger brother than a colleague. We have stood shoulder to shoulder on significant issues and at creating an atmosphere of brotherhood and respect among different communities. No one can doubt your commitment to secularism and the Constitutional values we both cherish.”
He added that being part of the NDA puts him in a difficult situation and he cannot align with an alliance led by the BJP.
Siddiqui concluded by saying, “Kindly accept my resignation. As always wishing you all the very best in the forthcoming elections.”
The Lok Sabha elections will take place in seven phases starting April 19. Uttar Pradesh, with 80 MPs, will vote in all seven phases. The BJP has formed a strong alliance with parties like RLD, SBSP, Apna Dal (S), and Nishad party, while the opposition bloc is led by Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati is contesting independently.
Voting for the first two phases will be on April 19 and April 26, followed by phases three and four on May 7 and May 13. The state will vote again in phases five, six, and seven on May 20, May 23, and June 1 respectively. The results will be announced on June 4.
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