Raj Babbar on Wednesday resigned from the post of Uttar Pradesh Congress chief, a party source said, amid reports that the party may replace him with a Brahmin to woo the upper-class vote bank in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. According to sources, Congress is likely to choose a new president between Jitin Prasad, Rajesh Mishra and Laliteshpati Tripathi. The party can also choose four deputies, one for each zone in the state.
"New arrangements are being worked out in the Congress, whatever new positions will be given by Party President, we will take them up and work towards 2019," Raj Babbar said on Wednesday morning.
"Whatever I have to say, I talk it out with my party President, the same has been happening and is happening," Babbar said on being asked if he resigned as UP Congress Chief due to pressure over party's performance in recent UP by-polls.
The development comes after the Congress' worst performance in recent Lok Sabha bypolls to Gorakhpur and Phulpur.
The two seats hold importance in state politics and the bypolls there were necessitated after Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath resigned from his Gorakhpur seat to form BJP government in the state, and Phulpur representative Keshav Prasad Maurya stepped down to take the post of Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister.
Earlier on Monday, Goa Congress President Shantaram Naik resigned from his post.
