RLD, AIUDF joins hands for campaigning in poll-bound UP

New Delhi, Feb 1 (ANI): The regional Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) and All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) parties come together for campaigning ahead of the upcoming polls in Uttar Pradesh.

Talking to reporters here on Tuesday, RLD chief Ajit Singh and AIUDF leader Badaruddin Ajmal said that the AIUDF would be campaigning for the former in the polls.

"Due to his efforts our number of lawmakers increased from 10 to 18. Out of those, four lawmakers won hundred percent of weightage. There are two Hindus among them. This is to be specially mentioned. I had told them at that time that we were thankful for the help he extended to us, and also mentioned I would come for him during the Uttar Pradesh elections and would campaign for him door to door," said Ajmal.

"This was our promise for the elections. Right now the atmosphere is hot for the elections and it is very important for everything that is related for the future Lok Sabha elections," he added.

Ajmal further said that the recent controversy of acclaimed author Salman Rushdie at the Jaipur Literature Festival is not important enough to affect the pattern of voting among Muslims in Uttar Pradesh.

"I think these kind of things do not leave a heavy impact on the elections. It is an emotional thing that Muslims do not like him. He has hurt the sentiments of Muslims. They did not want him to come and he did not. It is good that he did not come," he said.

While talking about the issue of 4.5 percent reservation for Muslim minorities in the state that was raised recently, Singh said that it would be decided only when a new government is formed.

"We had mentioned in our manifesto of the year 2000, that there are many groups in the Mandal Commission who are included in it but are not reaping any benefits from it. That is why it needs to be classified. The Mandal Commission has done reservations on the basis of population. So when the new government comes, based on the latest reports of population, the number of backward castes in them, exact percentage, etc will decide them. So percentage would shoot up," he added.

The RLD, which is a member of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA), is making efforts to gain minority votes from this campaign by Ajmal's party.

The Uttar Pradesh polls are being viewed as an opportunity for major parties to re-establish their foothold in the country's fifth largest and most populous state.

Polls in Uttar Pradesh will be conducted between February 8 and March 3, and the counting will take place on March 6.

Uttar Pradesh will elect a new 403-member state assembly in March, and the poll results will broadly indicate trends for the 2014 general elections. (ANI)