Rashtriya Lok Dal president Jayant Chaudhary’s meeting with Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra at the CCS Airport in Lucknow on Sunday has sparked speculation in the political circles about a realignment of opposition politics.
Later bother the leader along with several other leaders of the two parties flew to Delhi in a chartered plane of the Chhattisgarh government.
What has added grist to the speculation was that while the two leaders left for Delhi, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav also arrived at the airport but did not meet the Congress and RLD leaders.
RLD sources said Priyanka Vadra met RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary at the airport in Lucknow, and later both of them left for Delhi in a chartered aircraft of the Chhattisgarh government. After addressing the ‘Pratigya Rally' in Gorakhpur on Sunday, Priyanka Vadra had reached Lucknow to take a flight to Delhi, and it was during the same time that Jayant Chaudhary also reached the airport.
Commenting on the incident, a senior RLD leader said, “Priyanka and Jayant Chaudhary left for Delhi in the chartered aircraft of Chhattisgarh government on Sunday."
When pointed out that the meeting was being perceived as arm-twisting tactics of the RLD to exert pressure on the SP with regard to seat-sharing for the upcoming UP assembly polls, the sources said, "No pressure has been exerted by anyone and this was an informal meeting.”
RLD sources, however, said, “All is not well in the alliance between the RLD and the SP,”
RLD has demanded 60 seats in western UP, while the SP is not willing to concede more than 25 seats. Moreover, the entry of senior Jat leader and former MP of Muzaffarnagar, Harendra Malik, and his ex-MLA son Pankaj Malik, in the SP has strained the relations between the RLD and the SP.
Sources said the RLD has staked its claim on all the assembly seats of Muzaffarnagar while the SP has promised to give ticket to both Harendra Malik and his son in Muzaffarnagar district.
The strained relation with the RLD prompted Akhilesh Yadav to issue a statement on Monday that the alliance with the RLD had been finalised and seat sharing would soon be finalised.