
The Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) is fighting a battle of survival in Uttar Pradesh, and Monday’s Kairana bypoll seems its best shot to stay on the political scene ahead of the 2019 general elections.
The SP and BSP have forged a strategic alliance with the RLD and are supporting its candidate, Tabassum Begum. The Congress has not fielded a candidate for the seat, and the Lok Dal (splinter group), which could have played spoiler, has withdrawn its candidate.