Rashtriya Loktantrik Party | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Abbreviation | RLP |
| Leader | Hanuman Beniwal |
| President | Hanuman Beniwal |
| Secretary | Narayan Beniwal |
| Founded | 29 October 2018 |
| Headquarters | Jaipur |
| Ideology | Farmers' interests[citation needed] Regionalism[citation needed] |
| Colours | Green Yellow |
| ECI Status | State party |
| Alliance | I.N.D.I.A (2024-present) NDA (2019-20) |
| Seats in Rajya Sabha | 0 / 245 |
| Seats in Lok Sabha | 1 / 543 |
| Seats in Rajasthan Legislative Assembly | 0 / 200 |
| Election symbol | |
 | |
| Website | |
| https://rlpindia.org | |
TheRashtriya Loktantrik Party (abbreviated asRLP;translation:National Democratic Party) is a recognised Indian political party in the state ofRajasthan. It is the third political party of Rajasthan after theIndian National Congress and theBharatiya Janata Party. RLP was founded byHanuman Beniwal on 29 October 2018, with the aim of addressing the regional issues, particularly of thefarmer community andyouths.[1][2]
Hanuman Beniwal was initially exposed to politics due to his family political background, as his father,Ramdev Beniwal, was elected to theRajasthan Legislative Assembly. He then became president of the student union of theRajasthan University which marked his step into the politics.
Hanuman Beniwal was elected to theRajasthan Legislative Assembly for first time in2008 as a member of theBharatiya Janata Party. In 2013, Beniwal's persistent claims against prominent party leaders, such asRajendra Rathore andVasundhara Raje, led to his suspension from theBharatiya Janata Party (BJP). According to Beniwal, they were thoroughly corrupt, and there was a corrupt relationship between Raje andAshok Gehlot, the chief minister at that time.[3]
Hanuman Beniwal successfully organised fiveKisan Hunkar Maha Rallies inNagaur,Barmer,Bikaner,Sikar,Jaipur and this rally aimed at addressing the grievances of farmers in Rajasthan and the focused on issues such as loan waivers, fair prices for crops and better irrigation facilities for farmers of Rajasthan and launched a political party called Rashtriya Loktantrik Party with an election symbol of "Bottle" in Jaipur on 29 October 2018. The Kisan Hunkar rally was supported by some political leaders such as,Ghanshyam Tiwari,Jayant Chaudhary andSanjay Lathar.[4][5]
RLP party received support from the farmer community,[6] and was able to have its representatives elected on three seats of the Rajasthan legislative assembly in 2018.[7] In 2019, the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party entered into an alliance with theBharatiya Janata Party before the 2019 Indian general election. RLP contested on theNagaur seat and extended support to theBharatiya Janata Party on all other seats of the state.[8]
Hanuman Beniwal who had contested from the Nagaur seat was elected to theLok Sabha in 2019.[9] Following the passage of the2020 Indian agriculture acts, Beniwal resigned from three parliamentary committees,[10] and the party extended its support to theIndian farmers' protest and supported the2020 Indian general strike.[6] On 26 December 2020, Rashtriya Loktantrik Party quitNDA alliance in2020-21 farmers protest to three farmer laws and the party said them as Anti-farmer laws.[11]
On 27 October 2023, the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party announced their alliance withChandra Shekhar Ravan'sAzad Samaj Party for the2023 Rajasthan Assembly elections.[12]
Following2024 Indian general elections, the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party announced their alliance withINDIA bloc to protect the democratic system in country. Hanuman Beniwal was announced as the candidate ofINDIA bloc fromNagaur on 25 March 2024.[13]
On 11 January 2025, the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party announced their alliance withAam Admi Party for the2025 Delhi Legislative Assembly elections and also supported theArvind Kejriwal demand to include theJats across the country into thecentral list of OBC.[14]
| Year | Lok sabha | Party leader | Pre-poll alliance | Seats contested | Seats won | Change in seats | Total votes | Overall vote % | Vote swing | Outcome | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 17th | Hanuman Beniwal | NDA | 1 | 1 / 543 |  1 | Government LaterOpposition | ||||
| 2024 | 18th | INDIA | 1 | 1 / 543 |  | Opposition |
| Year | Party leader | Pre-poll alliance | Seats contested | Seats won | Change in seats | Total votes | Overall vote % | Vote swing | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rajasthan | |||||||||
| 2018 | Hanuman Beniwal | none | 58 | 3 / 200 | 3 | 856,038 | 2.40% | 2.40 | Opposition |
| 2023 | ASP(KR)+ | 78 | 1 / 200 |  2 | 946,209 | 2.38% | 0.02 | Opposition | |
| Year | Map | Lok Sabha | MP | Portrait | Constituency | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 |  | 17th Lok Sabha | Hanuman Beniwal |  | Nagaur Lok Sabha constituency | 1,81,260 |
| 2024 |  | 18th Lok Sabha | 42,225 |
| Year | Name | Constituency | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Indira Devi | Merta | 12,835 |
| Pukhraj Garg | Bhopalgarh | 4,962 | |
| Hanuman Beniwal | Khinwsar | 16,948 | |
| 2019 By-election | Narayan Beniwal | 4,680 | |
| 2023 | Hanuman Beniwal | Khinwsar | 2,059 |
