Amid this, state BJP leaders have vehemently opposed to any agreement with the RLD. Led by national vice-president Kalyan Singh, all BJP leaders of Uttar Pradesh, including state president Ramapati Tripathi, Om Prakash Singh and Vinay Katiyar, have registered a strong protest with the party’s central leadership, which is keen on a tie-up with the RLD.

At the BJP national executive meeting in Bangalore, the central leadership reportedly told the UP leaders that they should be ready for a tie-up with RLD in the Lok Sabha elections. State BJP president Ramapati Ram Tripathi, however, refuted this.

“No such thing like an alliance with the RLD was on the agenda of the national executive meeting at Bangalore and I will not comment whether the BJP will go for an alliance with the RLD or not, whenever this issue comes before me I will place my views on the party forum,” Tripathi said.

Privately, however, state BJP leaders regard an alliance with the RLD as more or less a fait accompli that was being thrust by the Central leadership.