Why Noorpur Matters: BJP-RLD Eye Charan Singh's Legacy Ahead Of UP Polls

The proposed December 23 rally in former Prime Minister Chaudhary Chanran Singh's ancestral village is expected to bring Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior BJP and RLD leaders together, with western Uttar Pradesh emerging as a key focus ahead of the assembly elections.

The BJP and the RLD have picked a small village in Hapur to begin their 2027 Uttar Pradesh push. Noorpur. December 23.

That's the birth anniversary of Chaudhary Charan Singh, and Noorpur is where his family comes from. Party sources say the two allies are planning a mega rally there.

PM Modi is likely to speak, reports said. RLD sources claim the Prime Minister's Office has already given its confirmation. Also expected on stage: RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary, BJP president Nitin Nabin, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and UP BJP chief Pankaj Chaudhary.

Why Noorpur matters:

Charan Singh was born here, in what was then Meerut district, to a farming family. Jayant is his grandson. So the venue says a lot before anyone says a word.

His political life began in the Congress, and in 1937 he won a seat in the United Provinces Legislative Assembly. After Independence he held several ministries in Uttar Pradesh and was a major force behind land reform, including laws against the zamindari system and caps on landholdings.

He went on to lead the state as Chief Minister. As Prime Minister he served from July 28, 1979, to January 14, 1980. In 2024, the Bharat Ratna was awarded to him posthumously.

For the RLD, this is home ground. A rally here, on this day, lets the party keep his legacy in front while standing next to a much bigger partner.

Numbers game in western UP

Reports say the alliance is looking at 136 assembly seats in the region. Jat and Gurjar voters are the focus, along with farmers more broadly. Baghpat, Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Hapur and Moradabad have strong farm economies and a record of farmer led politics.

The Samajwadi Party isn't sitting still either. It has been working on backward classes, Dalits and minorities, so the region stays a real contest.

A long and shifting relationship

Charan Singh's son, Ajit Singh, founded the RLD in 1996-1997. Its roots lie in western UP, among farmers and Jats. Over the years it has teamed up with the BJP, the Congress and the SP, and has sat in coalitions led by both the BJP and the Congress.

The 2019 Lok Sabha polls went badly. Fighting three UP seats within the SP and BSP alliance, the RLD won none. For the 2022 assembly elections it tied up with the SP and took eight seats, whih became nine after the Khatauli by election. Jayant also reached the Rajya Sabha that year with SP support.

Then the turn. Ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Jayant took the RLD out of the opposition camp and into the BJP led NDA. It came after the Modi government announced the Bharat Ratna for Charan Singh. In the seat sharing deal, the RLD got Baghpat and Bijnor, and won both.

Rajasthan and Haryana too

According to party sources, joint rallies may also be held in Rajasthan and Haryana on the same occasion. Noorpur, though, is meant to be the main show.

Whether this display of unity becomes a long campaign across western UP is something the coming months will answer.