Archive · 23 Sep 2026
BJP Ally RLD Seeks Muslim Support in Western Uttar Pradesh
The Rashtriya Lok Dal, or RLD, is an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
It is trying to regain support from Muslim voters in western Uttar Pradesh.
Many Muslims in the region moved toward the Samajwadi Party after the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots.
RLD leader Jayant Chaudhary recently met cricketer Mohammed Shami.
This led to speculation that Shami might enter politics and contest from Amroha in 2027.
The BJP reportedly wants the RLD to help reach Muslim voters because it finds it difficult to win their trust directly.
The RLD also held a social-harmony rally in Muzaffarnagar.
Some Muslim voters said they did not believe the outreach would change their political choices.
Neither Chaudhary nor Shami has confirmed any political plan.
Rashtriya Lok Dal president Jayant Chaudhary met cricketer Mohammed Shami in New Delhi on Sunday.
The meeting prompted speculation that Shami could contest the 2027 Assembly election from Amroha.
The BJP and RLD are seeking to rebuild Muslim support in western Uttar Pradesh after the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots.
The RLD plans to contest more than 20 percent of western Uttar Pradesh’s Assembly seats, according to a BJP leader.
Muslim voters quoted in the report expressed skepticism about the BJP-RLD outreach and its possible political aims.
- Who
- Rashtriya Lok Dal president Jayant Chaudhary, the Bharatiya Janata Party, and cricketer Mohammed Shami are central to the report; Muslim voters are the target constituency.
- What
- The BJP-allied RLD is attempting to regain Muslim support in western Uttar Pradesh, while Shami’s meeting with Chaudhary has prompted speculation about a possible 2027 candidacy.
- When
- The meeting and the RLD’s social-harmony rally took place on Sunday; the possible election contest would be in 2027.
- Where
- The meeting occurred in New Delhi, while the political outreach concerns western Uttar Pradesh, including Amroha and Muzaffarnagar.
- Why
- The RLD wants to recover Muslim support lost after the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots, and the BJP reportedly sees the RLD as better placed to approach the community.
RLD-BJP Outreach
Muslim Voter Skepticism
Ability to rebuild support
RLD-BJP Outreach
The RLD says it is advancing Chaudhary Charan Singh’s legacy of representing every caste and community, while the BJP reportedly expects the RLD to help attract Muslim voters.
Muslim Voter Skepticism
Muslim voters quoted in the report said the BJP’s outreach may be a strategy to shape perceptions, consolidate Hindu votes, or confuse the Muslim electorate.
Mohammed Shami’s political role
RLD-BJP Outreach
A BJP leader said Shami could appear at campaign events and may be considered for a 2027 contest from Amroha if he accepts an offer.
Muslim Voter Skepticism
Neither Shami nor Jayant Chaudhary has confirmed a political arrangement, and the local RLD president said he had not been briefed about their meeting.
Prospects for Muslim support
RLD-BJP Outreach
The BJP and RLD are working together to persuade Muslims that the alliance is not against them and to bring their votes into the National Democratic Alliance.
Muslim Voter Skepticism
A Muslim voter quoted in the report said there was little possibility of Muslims supporting the BJP or its allies.
- Region
- Western Uttar Pradesh
- Assembly seats in region
- 72 of Uttar Pradesh’s 403 seats
- Potential constituency
- Amroha
- Potential election
- 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election
- 2013 riot impact
- More than 50 people were killed and over 5,000 families were rendered homeless
- RLD seat plan
- A BJP leader said the RLD would receive more than 20 percent of western Uttar Pradesh’s seats
- Recent outreach
- The RLD held a Samajik Samrasta, or social-harmony, rally in Muzaffarnagar