Lucknow: Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) on Friday appointed senior party functionary Aeshwarya Raj Singh as its new Uttar Pradesh president, hours after incumbent Ramashish Rai resigned from the post and announced his exit from the party.The late-evening appointment underlines the party leadership’s attempt to quickly contain any organisational uncertainty and project stability at a time when political activity in Uttar Pradesh is gathering pace ahead of the 2027 assembly elections.Singh, 43, currently serves as the party’s national secretary and has been one of the key architects of the ‘Team RLD’ initiative, a political outreach platform launched by partypresident and Union minister Jayant Chaudhary to strengthen the party’s grassroots presence in Uttar Pradesh and expand its footprint.“My priority would be to strengthen the party at the grassroots level,” he told TOI.A resident of Basti district, Singh comes from a political family. His father Laxmeshwar Singh won from Basti Sadar seat in 1991 on a Janta Dal ticket. His mother, Ashima Singh, was an IRTS officer and served as DRM (NE) in Lucknow before retiring in 2015.Singh represents a new generation of leaders within the RLD who combine professional experience with organisational work. Before entering active politics nearly a decade ago, he worked as a software engineer with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). After joining politics, he contested 2017 assembly elections from Basti Sadar but lost.Within party circles, Singh is regarded as one of the trusted members of Jayant’s inner team. Though he has largely stayed away from the political spotlight, he has been involved in building the party’s organisational network and coordinating activities across districts. His role in Team RLD helped him emerge as a key link between the central leadership and grassroots workers.
