RPN Singh, senior Congress leader and former Union Minister, quits party, tenders resignation to Sonia Gandhi

The resignation of RPN Singh, a Congress heavyweight from Uttar Pradesh, has triggered intense speculations about his switching over to the BJP soon.

NEW DELHI: In a major blow to the Congress party, its senior leader and former Union Minister RPN Singh on Tuesday resigned from the party. According to reports, Singh has also tendered his resignation letter to interim Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

Congress leader and former Union Minister RPN Singh resigns from the party; tenders his resignation to the Party president Sonia Gandhi. pic.twitter.com/jzhhEFoOrx — ANI (@ANI) January 25, 2022

In his resignation letter, Singh wrote, "Today, at a time, we are celebrating the formation of our great Republic, I begin a new chapter in my political journey. Jai Hind.''

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

His resignation came a day after he was named as one of the party`s star campaigners for UP polls. The resignation of RPN Singh, a Congress heavyweight from the poll-bound Uttar Pradesh, has triggered intense speculations about his switching over to the BJP soon.

Singh has been the Congress party’s Jharkhand in-charge till now. He was apparently sidelined in the Congress and had reportedly lost touch with the powerful Gandhi family, which is at the centre of Congress politics for many decades.

Sources said that he was miffed over the party affairs in his home district of Padrauna as he was not taken into confidence on many issues related to the party functioning in his turf.

A descendent of the royal family of Sainthwar of Kushinagar, RPN Singh had lost the last election from UP’s Padrauna seat. He is likely to be fielded from the same seat against SP’s Swami Prasad Maurya, who recently jumped ship from the BJP.

Son of late Congress veteran CPN Singh, he has been a staunch loyalist of the Congress party and an MLA from the Padrauna assembly constituency of Uttar Pradesh.

RPN Singh was also elected as the MP from the constituency in the 15th Lok Sabha election. In the 16th Lok Sabha election, he lost to BJP’s Rajesh Pandey. He has also served as the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs during the past Congress government at the Centre.

RPN Singh's exit is a big setback to Congress' UP in-charge Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's efforts to keep the party united ahead of the crucial assembly elections in UP

Singh is the second top rung Congress leader from UP to have quit the party after Jitin Prasada, who joined the BJP and was also sworn in as a minister in the Yogi Adityanath-led cabinet.