Keen on expanding its base, RLD plans organisational rejig | Lucknow News
Lucknow: BJP ally Rashtriya Lok Dal is scheduled to undergo organisational reshuffle in the next few months.Sources in RLD said the changes will include the election of a new national president and the UP chief. While Jayant Chaudhary is likely to be chosen unopposed, all eyes will be on the appointment of a new UP RLD chief in place of the incumbent Ramashish Rai, who has completed three years term. An initial blueprint of the move is expected to be drawn at a meeting in Lucknow on Aug 29. The meeting, proposed to be chaired by national general secretary (organisation) Trilok Tyagi, will assess the prevailing ground-level political situation in the run-up to the next year’s panchayat polls. RLD has also sought feedback from the district units to assess the performance of the organisational functionaries. RLD national secretary Anupam Mishra said party wants to bolster its organisational strength in UP while being part of the NDA. Even as RLD managed to consolidate its base in western UP under Rai, the expansion beyond the Jat-dominated belt remained a challenge. Experts said that a new face could potentially bring fresh energy and possibly help expand RLD’s influence in central/eastern UP, where the BJP wants RLD to complement its social coalition. Rai, who hails from Deoria, was with the BJP in the past. He was the national president of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, the youth arm of the BJP, between 1997 and 2000. He also got elected to the UP legislative council during this period. Rai contested the 1993 UP polls from Fazilnagar but lost by a slender margin of 1,500 votes. He switched to RLD in 2021. The decision to seek district-level feedback is being perceived as a move to identify emerging grassroots leaders who can deliver during panchayat elections. RLD organisational rejig may also be watched by BJP which is keen to ensure that allies like RLD remain effective in mobilising Jat, in west UP constituencies.
