Cong ties up with RLD, Mahan Dal

The Congress on Monday announced pre-election alliances with Ajit Singh’s Rashtriya Lok Dal and fledling outfit Mahan Dal in western Uttar Pradesh, leaving almost half of the 25 seats in the region to its allies.

“The Congress has reached a pre-poll understanding with Rashtriya Lok Dal and Mahan Dal in Uttar Pradesh,” said AICC general secretary Madhusudhan Mistry to reporters.

Flanked by Mahan Dal chief Keshav Dev Maurya, Mistry said the new regional party would contest three seats – Badayun, Etah and Nagina – in western UP.

The RLD will contest eight seats – Baghpat, Mathura, Amroha, Hathras, Bijnore, Bulandshar, Kairana and Fatehpur Sikri.

Ajit Singh represents Baghpat in the Lok Sabha and his son Jayant Chaudhary was elected from Mathura. The RLD is expected to field former Samajwadi Party leaders Amar Singh and Jaya Prada from Fatehpur Sikri and Bijnore, respectively. Both leaders joined the RLD on Monday.

Western UP has 25 of the 80 constituencies in Uttar Pradesh, which has the largest number of seats in the Lok Sabha. The Congress' alacrity in announcing the alliances with both parties comes after reports that the BJP was planning to tie up with them.