Noida: The Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), which was routed in the last Lok Sabha election with the party failing to open its account even in its stronghold of western UP, is looking to the BSP-SP-RLD combine as a life-support.The party, which has been left with only 0.86 % vote share in Uttar Pradesh and only one assembly seat (of Sahender Singh Ramala from Chhaprauli in Baghpat district), has mobilised its cadres in support of BSP-SP alliance candidate Satveer Nagar for the Gautam Buddh Nagar seat. Claiming a shared ideology with BSP-SP, the party’s slogan is “karo ya maro” (do or die), a line which insiders say describes its own prospects.“We have mobilised all party cadres — from mahanagar adhyaksh (metro president), district in-charge, state in-charge to ground-level workers — in support of BSP-SP alliance candidate in Guatam Buddh Nagar. There is tremendous hope, passion and dedication amongst party cardres who are seeing this as though their national-level leader is fighting election here,” said Janardhan Bhati, RLD district president, GB Nagar.“It is a fight for existence as our senior party leaders have called for a do or die slogan. Our party national vice president Jayant Chaudhary (son of founder Ajit Singh) has said the party is in the long run of alliance mode and nothing should be done to avert that,” he added.The reason being that RLD is looking at 2022 state assembly elections with this alliance. Expecting 40-50 seats in 2019 Lok Sabha elections for BSP-SP alliance in UP, RLD aims to cash-in on the victory. “If we sit in Parliament, only then the party thrives and since we have a shared ideology with BSP-SP socialism, pro-dalit and RLD’s pro-farmer base, there’s no better partner than this,” said Bhati.Vijender Yadav, RLD’s Noida in-charge, told TOI that party cardres from Jewar, Dankaur, Dadri and Greater Noida are all lending their support to Nagar.

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