THE RASHTRIYA Lok Dal (RLD), which is now part of the NDA, on Monday declared its candidates on two seats, Baghpat and Bijnor, for the coming Lok Sabha elections. The RLD has fielded senior leader Dr Raj Kumar Sagwan from Baghpat seat while sitting MLA Chandan Singh Chauhan will contest from Bijnor seat. The Baghpat seat is considered a family stronghold. Raj Kumar Sagwan: This marks the 68-year-old's debut in electoral politics and he thanked the party leadership for its decision to select him as a Lok Sabha candidate. “I would like to thank the party leadership for placing their trust in me,” Sagwan told mediapersons on Monday. He has been associated with the RLD for nearly four decades and worked at various levels. Hailing from Meerut, Sagwan, after completing his PhD, served as a professor at a university in Meerut, said RLD's Baghpat district president, Rampal Dhama. Belonging to the Jat community, he is now RLD national secretary within the party. Sagwan, who is unmarried, is known for his connect with grassroots politics and was involved in student and farmer politics. He was associated with several agitations. He claims to have joined politics after being “inspired by Chaudhary Charan Singh”. Chandan Singh Chauhan: Hailing from the Gujjar community, Chandan belongs to a politically active family. Chandan's father, Sanjay Chauhan, previously represented Bijnor in the Lok Sabha as an RLD candidate in 2009. Chandan’s grandfather Babu Narain Singh was also in politics and had served as deputy chief minister of UP, said Chandan's cousin Vijay Chauhan. Chandan, who holds a law degree, contested the 2017 elections from the Khatauli seat on a Samajwadi Party ticket but lost. Chandan contested the 2022 election from Meerapur seat in Muzaffarnagar on an RLD ticket and won. Chandan was recently made the chief of the RLD's youth wing. Meanwhile, the RLD also announced Yogesh Chaudhary as its candidate for the coming state legislative council election. Hailing from Mathura district, Yogesh Chaudhary has long-standing ties with the RLD.
