The Bharat Ratna for Chaudhary Charan Singh comes amid reports of a seat-sharing deal between the BJP and the RLD

Amid strong buzz that the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), a key constituent of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc and a Samajwadi Party ally in Uttar Pradesh, may join the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), Prime Minister Narendra Modi today announced that former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh will be conferred with the Bharat Ratna.

“It is the good fortune of our government that former Prime Minister of the country Chaudhary Charan Singh is being honoured with Bharat Ratna. This honor is dedicated to his incomparable contribution to the country. He had dedicated his entire life to the rights and welfare of farmers,” the PM announced.

“Be it the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh or the Home Minister of the country and even as an MLA, he always gave impetus to nation-building. He also stood firm against the Emergency. His dedication to our farmer brothers and sisters and his commitment to democracy during the Emergency is inspiring to the entire nation,” PM Modi wrote in a separate post.

“Dil jeet liya (Won hearts),” RLD leader and Charan Singh”s grandson Jayant Chaudhary posted on the micro-blogging site X, after the announcement. He later told reporters, “What previous governments could not do till today has been completed by PM Modi”s vision.”

The Bharat Ratna for Chaudhary Charan Singh comes amid reports of a seat-sharing deal between the BJP and the RLD, founded by his son and now led by Jayant Chaudhary, who is currently serving as a Rajya Sabha MP.

According to reports, Chaudhary”s party had made awarding a Bharat Ratna for Chaudhary Charan Singh a key condition for any agreement. The RLD even raised the demand for the Bharat Ratna for Charan Singh during the Budget session in the parliament on Thursday.

Amid the challenges faced by the INDIA bloc in maintaining unity, reports are doing the rounds suggesting that the BJP has offered the RLD, known for its significant support among Jats and farmers in western Uttar Pradesh, five parliamentary seats and two ministerial positions in exchange for severing ties with Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party.

Initially, the RLD and the Samajwadi Party had agreed upon a seven-seat arrangement for the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections. However, sources now indicate that the BJP is enticing the RLD with two Lok Sabha and one Rajya Sabha seats, alongside ministerial roles within Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s administration. Unverified reports suggest that the RLD is holding out for a more favorable deal, aiming for three additional Lok Sabha seats and a union ministerial position. A posthumous Bharat Ratna for former Prime Minister and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh, the founding figure of the party was another demand.

Despite the speculation, Samajwadi Party chief and former UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav had said, “Jayant Chaudhary is an educated person and he understands politics really well. I am hopeful that he will not let the fight for farmers weaken…”

However, the BJP”s move to confer Bharat Ratna to Chaudhary Charan Singh seems to have sealed the deal with the RLD while also wooing the Jat community. Jayant Chaudhary”s party is likely to get the Baghpat and Bijnor seats, and his wife may be made a Rajya Sabha candidate, sources have told NDTV adding that the BJP had offered two berths in UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath”s cabinet, but the RLD also wanted a seat in Prime Minister Modi”s cabinet at the Centre.