New Delhi, Jan 25: RPN Singh, one of the Congress’s most prominent leaders in Uttar Pradesh, joins the BJP within few minutes after quitting the former party today. This announcement of RPN Singh is definitely a great shock to Congress ahead of next month’s election in the state.
Soon after putting out his resignation letter to Sonia Gandhi on Twitter, RPN Singh tweeted on a “new beginning” under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president JP Nadda and Home Minister Amit Shah.
This is a new beginning for me and I look forward to my contribution to nation building under the visionary leadership & guidance of the Honourable Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi, BJP President Shri @JPNadda ji & Honourable Home Minister @AmitShah ji.
— RPN Singh (@SinghRPN) January 25, 2022
RPN Singh, who is from eastern UP’s Kushinagar, was among the Congress’ biggest leaders in India’s most politically vital state and was on the list of the party’s star campaigners announced just yesterday.
He is likely to contest the UP polls from his stronghold Padrauna, from where he has been elected MLA thrice.
After changing his Twitter bio and dropping his Congress credentials this morning, Singh teased a “new chapter” in his resignation letter.
Today, at a time, we are celebrating the formation of our great Republic, I begin a new chapter in my political journey. Jai Hind pic.twitter.com/O4jWyL0YDC
— RPN Singh (@SinghRPN) January 25, 2022
RPN Singh is likely to contest against Swami Prasad Maurya, who recently quit the BJP and led a mini-exodus of backward caste leaders. Singh is a prominent leader in eastern UP and could step into the void left Maurya.
Singh was elected as an MP from Kushinagar in 2009 but lost in 2014. Swami Prasad Maurya won the last two state polls from the Padrauna seat, first as a candidate of Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and later as a candidate of the BJP. In the 2009 Lok Sabha polls, Swami Prasad Maurya finished second after RPN Singh.
Some reports said RPN Singh had been upset with the party leadership over his associates being denied tickets to contest in Uttar Pradesh.
This is the second big exit from the Congress in Uttar Pradesh after Jitin Prasada quit last year and later became a minister in the Uttar Pradesh government led by Yogi Adityanath.
The Congress has lost many top leaders over the past two years. The shock exit of Jyotiraditya Scindia in 2020 was among the triggers for a big churn in the party that led to 23 leaders writing to Sonia Gandhi asking for “visible and full-time” leadership and collective decision-making.
Jyotiraditya Scindia, Jitin Prasada and RPN Singh were all close Rahul Gandhi aides. Another member of that now-depleted club, Sachin Pilot, was placated recently with cabinet spots in Rajasthan after months of disenchantment but many believe it is an unstable truce.
This is what Congress leader Karti Chidambaram says after Singh’s quitting in Tweet:
Disappointing to see @SinghRPN join the inglorious list of @JitinPrasada & @JM_Scindia https://t.co/kOIenIqW3f
— Karti P Chidambaram (@KartiPC) January 25, 2022
