Jayant Chaudhary's Rashtriya Lok Dal formally joins NDA

The National Democratic Alliance led by the BJP on Saturday got a boost with Jayant Chaudhary's Rashtriya Lok Dal formally joined the bloc. The Uttar Pradesh-based party was a part of the opposition INDIA alliance and had been indicating for some time now that the switch was likely to happen. Posting photos of Chaudhary meeting him and Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP President JP Nadda said in Hindi on X, “I met RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary in the presence of Amit Shah. I heartily welcome his decision to join the NDA family. Under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi, you will make an important contribution to the journey towards a developed India and the development of Uttar Pradesh. Ab ki baar NDA 400 paar.” 

आज माननीय गृहमंत्री श्री @amitshah जी की उपस्थिति में @RLDparty के अध्यक्ष @jayantrld जी से मुलाक़ात हुई। मैं उनके एनडीए परिवार में शामिल होने के निर्णय का हृदय से स्वागत करता हूँ। आदरणीय @narendramodi जी के नेतृत्व में विकसित भारत की यात्रा और उत्तर प्रदेश के विकास में आप… pic.twitter.com/3cJtQ9sS03

— Jagat Prakash Nadda (@JPNadda) March 2, 2024

Rumours that an alliance between the BJP and the RLD was in the works had been doing the rounds for a while and had got credence when the Bharat Ratna was announced for Chaudhary's grandfather and former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh on February 9. The RLD chief had welcomed the honour, writing, "Dil jeet liya mera (They have won my heart)".