The Rashtriya Lok Dal on Saturday formally joined the Bharatiya Janata party-led National Democratic Alliance.

Jayant Singh, the chief of the Uttar Pradesh-based party, made the announcement on social media after meeting with BJP president JP Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday.

“Under the leadership of [prime minister] Narendra Modi ji, India is becoming a parallel witness to development and welfare of the poor,” Chaudhary said in a social media post. “Met Amit Shah ji and JP Nadda ji and decided to join NDA. NDA is ready to fulfill the resolve of developed India and the slogan of crossing 400 this time.”

After the announcement, Nadda said that Singh’s party will make a crucial contribution to the development of Uttar Pradesh under the NDA coalition.

On February 9, the BJP-led Central government conferred the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award, to former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh, who was Jayant Singh’s grandfather. This came amid reports that the BJP was looking to form an alliance with the Rashtriya Lok Dal.

Soon after the Bharat Ratna announcement, Jayant Singh had written on social media: “Dil jeet liya [heart has been won].”

The Rashtriya Lok Dal was earlier part of the Opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance, or INDIA bloc. The alliance was formed last year to take on the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls.