RLD announces Lok Sabha candidates from Bagpat, Bijnor in Uttar Pradesh

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh): Two days after it formally joined the BJP-led NDA, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RLD) on Monday announced a list of two candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

The party, led by Jayant Chaudhary, has fielded Chandan Chauhan from the Bijnor and Rajkumar Sangwan from Bagpat in western Uttar Pradesh.

In the 2019 polls, Bahujan Samaj Party's Malook Nagar won the Bijnor seat. Bagpat seat was won by BJP's Satya Pal Singh.

RLD also announced a candidate for the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council election and has fielded Yogesh Chaudhary.

BJP on Sunday declared 195 candidates for Lok Sabha polls including 51 from Uttar Pradesh.

Uttar Pradesh is crucial for BJP-led NDA as well as the opposition INDIA bloc as it sends 80 MPs to parliament.

Jayant Chaudhary's grandfather Chaudhary Charan Singh, a former Prime Minister, was conferred Bharat Ratna posthumously last month.

In the Lok Sabha polls in 2014, Jayant Chaudhary-led RLD fought in alliance with the Congress and it fought the 2019 polls in alliance with the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party.

The BJP-led NDA secured 64 out of the 80 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

The Lok Sabha polls are expected to be held in April-May this year.