RLD should merge with Samajwadi Party: Mulayam Singh

In a major setback to Ajit Singh's plans to form an alliance ahead of Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Mulayam Singh Yadav today said the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) leader should merge his party with Samajwadi Party.

"We will contest the elections alone in UP...Ajit Singh should forgive me for saying this but he is restricted to only three districts (in UP)...he should merge his party with SP," Yadav told reporters in Delhi.

Though not specifying the districts he was referring to, Yadav agreed Singh had a good hold in these districts.

Ajit Singh commands a major hold over Jat votes in Western UP.

"We have the same background. He will become a big leader and will command respect," Yadav said.

Asked if Singh could be offered the post of the chief minister, if SP wrests power from Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), he said the issue would be decided by the MLAs.

Samajwadi Party and RLD were alliance partners in UP government in 2003. But Ajit Singh broke the alliance and contested the last Lok Sabha elections with BJP.

While SP has 88 MLAs, RLD has 10 MLAs in the 403-member state legislative assembly.