BJP, JD-U leave Ajit Singh out in cold

In trying to travel on two boats simultaneously, Rashtriya Lok Dal president Chaudhary Ajit Singh seems to have burnt all his bridges.

The BJP has firmly ruled out an alliance with the RLD and the Janata Dal (United) is also developing second thoughts about having Mr Ajit Singh on board for the UP Assembly elections.

BJP vice-president Om Mathur, in an informal chat with reports in Ballia on Sunday, categorically stated that there was no question of an alliance with the RLD and no talks had been held in this regard.

“We are certainly not looking for allies in UP and RLD is out of question,” he said.

Sources said that the issue of bringing the RLD on board had been informally discussed among top leaders but majority of them felt that Mr Singh was not only unreliable since he had been changing sides far too often but his base had also shrunk considerably in western Uttar Pradesh, known as Jat land.