LUCKNOW: The Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) has appointed Aeshwarya Raj Singh as the new chief of its Uttar Pradesh unit, hours after Dr Ramashish Rai resigned from the post and quit the party, in a move that signals the Jayant Chaudhary-led party’s attempt to expand its organisational base beyond western Uttar Pradesh.
Singh, 43, hails from Basti district in eastern UP. His appointment reflects Jayant Chaudhary’s latest attempt to recast the RLD, which is a part of the NDA, as a pan UP political force.
Singh’s appointment was announced within hours after Ramashish Rai, who also hails from eastern UP’s Deoria district, quit as RLD’s UP chief on Friday, citing alleged ethical and ideological differences with the party leadership.
Rather than choosing another leader from western UP, the RLD has entrusted the organisation to a functionary from Purvanchal, underscoring a deliberate shift in its organisational strategy.
The intent of the RLD leadership seems to be to expand the party’s base beyond its traditional stronghold in western UP and make inroads into the politically significant eastern region ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
Singh had contested the 2017 Assembly election from the district on an RLD ticket but had lost. His father, Laxmeshwar Singh, won the Basti Sadar seat in the 1991 Assembly election on a Janata Dal ticket but lost the seat in 1993 to Jagdambika Pal, who was then with the Congress party.
RLD sources claim the appointment of Aeshwarya Raj Singh as state unit chief reflects Jayant Chaudhary’s ‘Look East’ strategy. Chaudhary is a Minister of State with independent charge in the Narendra Modi government.
The focus of the party leadership seems to be on establishing the party in eastern UP while remaining a constituent of the BJP.
Notably, in 2022, the BJP had lost the Basti Sadar seat to SP’s Mahendra Yadav. The SP was contesting those elections in alliance with the RLD.
Since its inception under Ajit Singh, and later under Jayant Chaudhary, the RLD’s political identity has largely been confined to the western UP turf, where it enjoys influence among sections of Jat and Gurjar farming communities.
Eastern UP accounts for more than 150 Assembly constituencies and has traditionally been dominated by the BJP, SP and BSP, while regional outfits have struggled to establish a sustained organisational presence.
By picking a leader from Basti, political analysts say the RLD hopes to build a stronger cadre network in a region where it has lacked organisational depth.
Unlike western UP, where the RLD has an established booth level structure, much of eastern UP remains organisationally underdeveloped for the party.
The RLD is seeking to strengthen district level units, attract local politicians and broaden its social coalition beyond its traditional support base.