2 min readLucknowMar 23, 2026 04:19 AM ISTFormer JD (U) leader K C Tyagi with Union Minister and RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary. (PTI)Former Rajya Sabha MP and veteran JDU leader K C Tyagi joined the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) in the presence of its president and Union Minister Jayant Chaudhary in Delhi on Sunday.On his decision to join the RLD, Tyagi said, “When Lok Dal was formed by Chaudhary Charan Singh on August 9, 1974, I joined it and started my political career. I don’t see any difference between Lok Dal, RLD and JDU. All these parties follow the same ideology. These parties of Charan Singh, (Ram Manohar) Lohia and Karpoori Thakur are for social justice and the peasants.”“I will work for the success of the NDA … a strong RLD in the western UP will give more strength to the NDA,” Tyagi told The Indian Express.Former UP minister Ashok Yadav, who was earlier with the Samajwadi Party, too, joined the RLD.“We extend a warm welcome and heartfelt congratulations to the senior and experienced leader of the Rashtriya Lok Dal family, former Member of Parliament, Shri K C Tyagi Ji, and former Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Shri Ashok Yadav Ji…With their joining, the Rashtriya Lok Dal will become even stronger, and our commitment to public service will gain new energy and momentum,” Jayant said in a post in Hindi on ‘X’.While the RLD has so far not formally announced any role for Tyagi, a senior RLD functionary said, “He has not shown interest in getting any party position. But the party will certainly think about some important role for him considering his long political experience. He is a good orator. He will be active in Delhi and possibly western UP.”Lalmani is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, and is based in New Delhi. He covers politics of the Hindi Heartland, tracking BJP, Samajwadi Party, BSP, RLD and other parties based in UP, Bihar and Uttarakhand. Covered the Lok Sabha elections of 2014, 2019 and 2024; Assembly polls of 2012, 2017 and 2022 in UP along with government affairs in UP and Uttarakhand. ... Read MoreStay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd