Senior Congress leader and former Union minister RPN Singh is all set to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of next month’s assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh (UP).
Singh, the Congress party’s Jharkhand in-charge and one of the biggest Congress leaders from Uttar Pradesh, resigned from the Congress party on January 25. He posted his resignation sent to party president Sonia Gandhi on his Twitter.
"Today, at a time, we are celebrating the formation of our great Republic, I begin a new chapter in my political journey. Jai Hind," Singh said in the post.
Singh is likely to be fielded against Swami Prasad Maurya on a BJP ticket from Padrauna seat in Kushinagar. Maurya, former Cabinet minister in the Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government in UP, recently switched to the Samajwadi Party (SP).
Sources said Singh is likely to join the BJP at 2: 30 PM on January 25. Earlier in the day, he removed Congress from his Twitter bio. "My motto India first always," reads the new bio on Twitter.
Singh, who had lost the last assembly elections from Padrauna in 2017, was considered close to Gandhis. His name was included in the list of Congress' star campaigners for UP elections released on January 24.
Reports said he was lately feeling sidelined in the Congress party. He had met top BJP leadership, including prime minister Narendra Modi in Delhi, three days ago.
Singh had last week denied any talks with the BJP, however.
A descendant of the royal family of Sainthwar of Kushinagar, 57-year-old Singh is popularly known as Raja Saheb of Padrauna. He had been president of UP Youth Congress between 1997 and 1999 and secretary of All India Congress Committee (AICC) between 2003 and 2006.
Singh, like his father CPN Singh, has been an MLA (member of legislative assembly) from Padrauna between 1996 and 2009. He was elected to the Lok Sabha from Padrauna in 2009 but lost to BJP’s Rajesh Pandey in 2014.
Singh has been Union minister of state, road, transport and highways, (2009-2011), Union minister of state, petroleum and natural gas and corporate affairs (2011-2013) and Union minister of state for home affairs (2013-2014) in United Progressive Alliance (UPA) regimes.
Also, read: Uttar Pradesh Assembly Elections 2022 from February 10 to March 7. Things to know about high-stakes polls
Singh’s switch to the BJP ahead of crucial assembly polls will be yet another setback to the Congress party in UP. Before him, another Congress heavyweight from the state, Jitin Prasada, joined the BJP and was also sworn in as a minister in the Yogi Adityanath cabinet.
UP assembly elections will be held in seven phases starting February 10.
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