New Delhi: Former union minister Ratanjit Pratap Narain Singh joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday, January 25, at the saffron party's headquarters in Delhi. Earlier in the day, the former Union minister quit Congress in a major blow to the party ahead of the Uttar Pradesh elections.
Announcing his decision on Twitter, RPN Singh shared his resignation letter and 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."
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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 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
">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, 2022Today, 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
"I hereby tender my resignation from the primary members of the Indian National Congress with immediate effect. I thank you for providing me opportunity to serve the nation, people and the party," read his resignation letter to Congress President Sonia Gandhi.
Notably, prior to the resignation, Singh had also changed his Twitter Bio from: My motto India, First, Always. AICC in-charge, Jharkhand, Spokesperson Congress party, Former Minister of State for Home Affairs, to "My motto India, First, Always."
Singh, popularly known as Raja Saheb of Padrauna was a former Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs. He was an MP from Kushinagar constituency in the 15th Lok Sabha (2009-2014).
The 57-year-old former Congress loyalist from the erstwhile royal family of Sainthwar of Kushinagar (Padrauna) was an MLA from the Padrauna constituency of Uttar Pradesh (1996-2009), just like his father CPN Singh.
The Congress party's Jharkhand in-charge, RPN Singh has previously severed as the Minister of State from 2012 to 2014. However, in the 16th Lok Sabha election, he lost to BJP's Rajesh Pandey
The Doon School alumnus has also served as the All India Congress Committee's Secretary from 2003-2006. RPN Singh's exit from the party would come off as a massive blow for Congress right before the Assembly elections of the term.
Notably, in the past year, big names like Jitin Prasada, Luizinho Faleiro, Sushmita Dev, Kirti Azad, and Ashok Tanwar have also switched from the Congress. Jitin Prasada had quit the Congress to join the BJP in June 2021 and was soon after given charge of the Technical Education Department of the Government of Uttar Pradesh.
In August 2021, former All India Mahila Congress chief Sushmita Dev had switched over to the Trinamool Congress (TMC). Former Goa chief minister Luizinho Faleiro, Kirti Azad, and former Congress MP Ashok Tanwar had also switched to TMC.
Read: Father in Congress, son leaves party to become NDA's first Muslim face in UP polls
