The Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) has appointed former Bharatiya Janata Party legislator Ramashish Rai as the president of its Uttar Pradesh unit with immediate effect.

RLD senior leader Anil Dubey said that the party’s national president Jayant Chaudhary finalised the name on Friday.

Besides, Manjit Singh has been appointed as executive president of the sector organisation and Kanwar Hasan as head of state’s frontal organisation, Dubey said.

After the assembly election, the then RLD state president Masood Ahmad resigned on March 20 alleging that the party’s national chief Jayant Chaudhary and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav had distributed tickets in lieu of money in the assembly polls.

The newly appointed RLD state president Ramashish Rai was national president of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) and was elected to the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council as a member of the BJP. Rai was considered close to Lal Krishna Advani and during his BJYM days and had organised many marches.

Welcoming the appointment of Rai as state president of RLD, Dubey said that as he had a vast organisational experience, he would strengthen the party at the ground level.

Meanwhile, on the occasion of 35th death anniversary of former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh, the RLD will organise Samajik Naya Sammelan (social justice conference) on May 29 in Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi.

The conference will be addressed by Meghalaya Governor Satpal Malik, and Sharada Yadav, Ram Gopal Yadav of Samajwadi Party, KC Tyagi of Janata Dal (United)), Danish Ali from Bahujan Samaj Party, Sanjay Singh from Aam Aadmi Party, Suhashini from Communist Party of India (Marxist) and RLD national president Jayant Chaudhary will participate in it.