More Resignations in Congress, 36 UPCC Members Quit Taking Responsibility for Poll Debacle

Lucknow: As many as 36 office-bearers of Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee resigned from their posts on Saturday continuing the spate of resignations in the party following its Lok Sabha election debacle.

Congress leader in Legislative Council Deepak Singh, the state unit's senior vice president Ranjit Singh Judev, general secretary Aradhna Mishra Mona, vice president RP Tripathi and many others have resigned taking moral responsibility for the party's defeat, an official release of the party said.

Among the members who quit party posts were media coordinator Rajiv Bakshi, joint media coordinator Piyush Mishra, Onkar Nath SIngh, Amarnath Agarwal and Mukesh Singh Chauhan, Priyanka Gupta and Ashok Singh.

"As you (Rahul) are adamant on your resignation, there is no point in my continuing in the post. I resign as party leader in Legislative Council and as state general secretary," Deepak Singh said in a statement issued here.

More resignations are likely in the party state unit, a senior party leader said.

The UPCC has nearly 100 members. The members who have resigned include Satish Ajmani, Shyam Kishore Shukla, Hanuman Tripathi, spokesman Dwijendra Tripathi, Shiv Pandey, Pankaj Tiwari and Manju Dixit.

After Congress president Rahul Gandhi announced his decision to quit in the wake of the party's dismal performance in Lok Sabha polls, many leaders of state units have followed suit. Gandhi has reiterated that there is no going back on his decision, despite requests by leaders from his party and outside to continue in the post.

But the party on Saturday said that the entire organisation, in one voice, wants Gandhi to continue in the post. At a press conference, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said many party leaders have resigned, but the prevailing sentiment is that Gandhi should continue as the party president.

Earlier, state unit chief Raj Babbar had quit after the party could win only Rae Bareli seat in Uttar Pradesh and even lost it traditional stronghold of Amethi.

Party MP Vivek Tankha quit as the chairman of the party's legal and human rights cell on Thursday and urged others to do the same to give a free hand to Rahul Gandhi to restructure the party at all levels.

Party general secretary in charge of Madhya Pradesh Dipak Babaria, Goa unit chief Girish Chodankar, Delhi PCC's working president Rajesh Lilothia and Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee working president Ponnam Prabhakar have quit, as also a number of other office-bearers in various states.(With inputs from PTI)