RLD to organise 'harmony fortnight' in UP from December 6

Lucknow, Dec 1 (PTI) In a bid to further cement its place in the electoral arena of Uttar Pradesh, the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) will organise a "samrasta pakhwada" (harmony fortnight) from December 6 to December 23.

"The RLD will organise various programmes in each district and Assembly constituency from December 6, the 'parinirvana divas' of B R Ambedkar, to December 23, which is celebrated as 'Kisan Divas', the birth anniversary of former prime minister and Bharat Ratna Chaudhary Charan Singh, to maintain harmony, equality and brotherhood. For this, districts in-charge will be appointed," president of the party's Uttar Pradesh unit Ramashish Rai told reporters on Sunday.

He added that by December 31, the formation of the regional, district and metropolitan committees will be completed across the state.

The State Working Committee of the RLD, which held a meeting here on Saturday, thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP-led Centre for honouring Chaudhary Charan Singh with Bharat Ratna, the country's highest civilian award, Rai said.

The efforts of the RLD workers and people, who united on the call of party president Jayant Chaudhary and helped the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidates emerge victorious in the Lok Sabha election and Assembly bypolls in Uttar Pradesh, were also appreciated at the meeting, Rai said.

"The State Working Committee has decided to strengthen the party organisation at the grassroots level in the coming days. It has prepared its upcoming programmes in a comprehensive manner, which will give strength to the NDA and in (the) 2027 (Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls), under the leadership of (Chief Minister) Yogi Adityanath, it will win with a huge majority and form the government again," he asserted.

Addressing the State Working Committee meeting of the RLD, the party's national general secretary Trilok Tyagi said strengthening the organisation in Uttar Pradesh should be the goal of every worker and office-bearer.

In the recently-held Assembly bypoll in Meerapur, RLD's Mithlesh Pal defeated her nearest rival, Sumbul Rana of the Samajwadi Party (SP), by a margin of 30,796 votes.

The bypoll in Meerapur was necessitated after incumbent MLA Chandan Chauhan of the RLD got elected to the Lok Sabha from Bijnor earlier in the year.

The RLD had won the seat in the 2022 Assembly polls too, but it was in an alliance with the SP then. It contested the bypoll as part of the NDA. PTI NAV RC