Raj Babbar resigns as Uttar Pradesh Congress chief, say media reports; party yet to accept his resignation

Actor-turned-politician Raj Babbar has resigned as Uttar Pradesh Congress party president, media reports have said, adding that the party hierarchy is yet to accept his resignation. [caption id=“attachment_988281” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of Raj Babbar. CNN-News18[/caption] A report on India Today said that till the time Babbar’s resignation is confirmed, he will continue working as the state party president. The report also quoted sources as saying the party is eyeing a prominent leader from the Brahmin community as Babbar’s replacement. Jitin Prasad, Rajesh Mishra and Laliteshpati Tripathi were to be considered as possible replacements for Babbar, the report added. It said that the party may opt to go with one president followed by four vice-presidents to look after the four zones of the state. Babbar’s resignation comes following a turbulent month for the Uttar Pradesh Congress, which performed woefully in the by-elections to Phulpur and Gorakhpur parliamentary constituencies. Congress candidates Manish Mishra and Dr Sureetha in Phulpur and Gorakhpur respectively couldn’t even save their deposits. In Phulpur, the one-time constituency of India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Congress secured 19,334 votes, just 2.64 percent of the total votes polled. In Gorakhpur, the Congress candidate secured only 17,000 votes a voteshare of only 2 percent. Following the verdict, Congress president Rahul Gandhi had said the party was keen on rebuilding itself in Uttar Pradesh, but said it can’t happen overnight.