Senior Congress leader RPN Singh quits party, likely to join BJP

Congress received a blow just before the Uttar Pradesh elections as senior party leader RPN Singh quit amid buzz of joining the BJP.

Singh was a union minister in the UPA government. He was party in-charge of Jharkhand.

The exit will be a setback for the party as it tries to unite under the leadership of Priyanka Gandhi for the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.



Last year, the Congress lost another party heavyweight to BJP in the form of Jitin Prasada who later joined the BJP and is a minister in the Yogi Adityanath government.

Uttar Pradesh will go to polls from February 10 till March 7 and the results will be out on March 10.

Sources said he was upset with the party leadership over his close associates being denied party tickets in Uttar Pradesh.

Singh is a former MP from Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh and has served as Union Minister of State for Home Affairs.

He hails from Padrauna and is a scion of the royal family.

(With inputs from PTI)