Ex-minister Mairaj Uddin Ahmed leaves Cong to join RLD

In a jolt to Congress ahead of assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, party leader and former cabinet minister Mairaj Uddin Ahmed today joined Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD).

Ahmed, a doctor by profession, joined RLD at a function here in the presence of party's national general secretary Jayant Chaudhary.

"If there is any party which is working for the farmers and labourers as well as all sections of the society, it is RLD," he said, adding his immediate priority was to strengthen RLD in the pol-bound state.

"His (Ahmed's) joining RLD will not held us in western Uttar Pradesh but in the entire state," Chaudhary said.

Ahmed had started his political innings with Congress and was in charge of Youth Congress before switching loyalties with Samajwadi Party and RLD. He had the Lok Sabha from Baghpat in 1998 on SP ticket against RLD chief Ajit Singh.

In 2006 he took oath as Cabinet Minister of Irrigation and Flood Control in the SP government.

In 2007 Ahmed again joined Congress and worked as member in AICC and UPCC executive committee before once again joining RLD today.

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)