RLD chief Jayant Choudhary slammed by BJP for not voting

The Bharatiya Janata Party blasted the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) president Jayant Chaudhary on Thursday after it was revealed that he will not be voting in the Uttar Pradesh elections. Jayant Chaudhary will not be casting his vote today, according to party sources, because he is busy campaigning. Following this, BJP leaders have raised concerns over the leader's "irresponsible" behavior.

In a huge development, sources told that RLD chairman Jayant Chaudhary, who is an ally of the Samajwadi Party in the UP election, will not cast his ballot in the poll today. Rakesh Tripathi, a BJP leader, responded to the incident by saying that the action was inappropriate for a party leader like Chaudhary. The BJP leader said, “We got to know that Jayant Chaudhary won’t cast his vote. Actions like this don’t suit a party chief.”

Tripathi said, “This is a show of irresponsible attitude from him. Each vote is very important in a democracy. He will become a laughing stock if he doesn’t come and cast his vote.”

Other BJP leaders have also claimed that the RLD leader did not vote out of fear. Akhilesh Yadav, the head of the RLD's affiliate Samajwadi Party, has yet to comment on the topic.

Shrikant Sharma, a BJP leader in Uttar Pradesh, said the RLD leader's refusal to vote was proof of the party's victory in the state.

Amit Malviya, the BJP's National Information and Technology Department in charge, took aim at Chaudhary on Twitter.

 "How responsible is it for Jayant Chaudhary to not go out and vote because he has an election rally? What message is he sending? Has he already abandoned the idea of winning? Why should people come out and even consider the RLD when he isn’t serious about casting his vote?"

Chaudhary represents the Mathura region as a voter. Today, February 10, the first phase of voting in 58 constituencies across 11 districts in Uttar Pradesh began.

While he would be skipping the polls personally, Chaudhary had earlier in the day urged people to "go out of their houses and use your right to vote."

"I request each and every one of you to step out of your houses and utilize your right to vote. Elect a government that cares about you. Please also inspire the people around you to do the same," he said. 

Choudhary and Akhilesh Yadav, the leader of the Samajwadi Party, will address a combined electoral rally at Numaish Maidan in Bijnore, Uttar Pradesh.

Mr. Chaudhary had earlier in the day urged people to vote in huge numbers in order to elect a government that would meet their needs.

The first phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections 2022 began at 7:00 a.m. on Thursday.