Congress leader and once considered close to Priyanka Gandhi, Lalitesh Pati Tripathi finally tendered his resignation from the primary membership of the Grand Old Party, ending a more than 100-year-old relationship with the influential Tripathi family of Purvanchal. Tripathi announced his resignation at a press conference held in Varanasi on Thursday, days after speculations about his resignation came.
Speaking to the media at a press conference held in Varanasi, Tripathi said, “I have decided to resign from all posts and primary membership of the Congress. It is not at all appropriate to remain in the party when the dedicated workers who stood by the party in difficult times are being sidelined.
“With time there is a change in the thinking of every party, after the change I am seeing in the Congress party today, I felt that it was irrelevant for me to be in the party. I have not thought or discussed about going to any other party at the moment. I will first discuss with my family and workers before I decide to take any action in future. At the moment I haven’t decided anything. If my well-wishers want me not to contest, I am ready to do so. There will always be respect for Rahul Gandhi ji and Priyanka ji. In future, Congress will be an option for the people of India, but I am leaving the party for my workers,” said Lalitesh Pati Tripathi.
Tripathi, a former Congress MLA, is the great-grandson of former UP Chief Minister Kamala Pati Tripathi. Lalitesh’s exit is seen as a setback for the Congress ahead of the 2022 Uttar Pradesh state assembly elections. Kamala Pati Tripathi was a member of the UP Legislative Assembly in the pre-independence era in 1937. In 1971, he became the Chief Minister of UP for two years. Later in 1973, 1978, 1980, 1985 and 1986, Kamla Pati Tripathi was a Congress Rajya Sabha MP. Lok Pati Tripathi, son of Kamala Pati Tripathi also became a minister in the UP government, his grandson Lalitesh became MLA from Madihan assembly seat in 2012.
The assembly seat is part of the Mirzapur Lok Sabha seat which has around 1.5 lakh Brahmin voters. Apart from this, there are a large number of voters of Yadav, Bind, Kol, Kurmi and other backward castes. At present, Anupriya Patel has won the election from Mirzapur seat on Apna Dal ticket in alliance with BJP.
There is speculation about Tripathi joining Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party before the assembly elections, however, he has denied such rumours.
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