RLD undeterred by Lok Sabha results

The Chaudhary Ajit Singh-led Rashtriya Lok Dal party was decimated in the Uttar Pradesh Lok Sabha polls this time but senior party leader Jayant Chaudhary is undeterred by the results, saying "a person who has not tasted defeat, has actually not lived his life".

There were some hopes of the party making its presence felt in the political landscape of the state in May last year during the Kairana bypolls, when the BJP lost to the joint opposition candidate, RLD's Tabassum Hasan.

However, this time Hasan (SP) lost to BJP's Pradeep Kumar by a margin of 92,160 votes.

Buoyed by the victory of the joint opposition candidate in the Kairana Lok Sabha bypolls, talks of 'mahagathbandhan' of opposition parties (SP, BSP and RLD) had gained momentum in the state.

However, the joy was short-lived, as in the parliamentary elections, the SP could not improve its 2014 tally and bagged five seats, while the BSP gained 10 seats. The RLD, which had fielded three candidates, failed register a win on even a single seat.

RLD candidates Ajit Singh and his son Jayant Chaudhary lost from Muzaffarnagar and Baghpat Lok Sabha seats respectively, while Kunwar Narendra Singh lost from Mathura.

In a video message on Saturday, Jayant Chaudhary had said, "The BJP has registered a massive win in the Lok Sabha elections. I congratulate Prime Minister Narendra Modi and all newly-elected MPs. The entire nation is pinning its hopes on newly elected MPs that they will work for betterment of farmers, poor and traders. We will continue to contribute our bit in nation building. The constituents of the mahagathbandhan have worked very hard, and I want to thank all workers for their hardwork."
"Only when the RLD decides to merge itself with any party, will any political party accept it. The father-son duo of Ajit Singh and Jayant Chaudhary have been unsuccessful in managing the legacy of former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh. The arrogance (ahankaar) of Ajit Singh has been completely shattered in this election."