The RLD and JDU are also expected to reach out to other "like-minded parties".
With
by-elections for three assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh expected next week before state-wide elections next year, a new alliance may be on the cards.
Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal United has declared its support for Ajit Singh's Rashtriya Lok Dal candidates.
The two leaders also met earlier this week to chart out the roadmap for the future and are expected to reach out to other "like-minded parties" in the hope of cobbling up an effective alliance.
Speaking to NDTV, RLD Jayant Choudhary said negotiations are on-going and an announcement could come within two months.
So will RLD merge with the JD-U? "It's not a question of merger or not," said Jayant Choudhary. "That's a small issue. In UP, identity of party is not as important as the agenda of the party. We have big challenges and there is already an in principle approval between Ajit Singh and Nitish Kumar and we shall open up the platform to other like-minded parties in UP because there is a vacuum. People are tired of the same old leadership choices," he said.
Negotiations continue even as different parties focus on the by-polls, where all three seats were held by the Samajwadi Party. The JD-U doesn't have a presence in western UP while the RLD has suffered massive losses in its own stronghold and the BSP is not contesting these by-elections.
With a year to go before the Assembly elections, all eyes are now on these polls and whether they could indicate which way the wind is blowing.