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Lok Sabha elections 2019: UP BJP chief’s kin meets Priyanka, to join Congress
Speculation of Amruta Pandey joining the Congress was fuelled after she met Priyanka Gandhi on Tuesday in a closed-door meeting.
In what may be seen as a minor setback for the BJP, Amruta Pandey, the daughter-in-law of the party’s state president Dr Mahendra Nath Pandey brother Jitendra Nath Pandey, is expected to join the Congress on Wednesday. Speculation about her joining the Congress began after she met the Congress’s national general secretary Priyanka Gandhi on Tuesday in a closed-door meeting for about 22 minutes.
Former Congress MLA Lalitesh Pati Tripathi was also present in the meeting between Priyanka Gandhi and Amruta Pandey, during which Amruta had expressed her desire to join active politics. Amruta Pandey, along with her brother Punit Mishra, had reached the Chunar Fort guest house in the evening following which she had met Priyanka Gandhi.
Mahendra Nath Pandey’s elder brother Jitendra Nath Pandey, whose son is married to Amruta Pandey, lives in Varanasi.
Sources said that Priyanka has asked Amruta Pandey to come to Varanasi on Wednesday. Former MLA Ajay Rai said that in her meeting with Priyanka, Amruta had expressed faith in the Congress.
Amruta is expected to join the Congress at the workers’ conference at Saroja Palace, Varanasi, on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, BJP leader Jaiveer Singh’s son Arvind Singh Chauhan had joined the Congress. The Congress has fielded Arvind from the Gautam Budh Nagar constituency.
Arvind comes from a politically active family which has contested several elections on various party tickets.
His mother Raj Kumar Chauhan was elected MP from Aligarh in the 2009 elections. In 2014, Arvind had contested the elections from Aligarh on a BSP ticket, but had lost. Arvind’s father Jaiveer Singh had begun his political career as a BSP member. Jaiveer Singh has been the Bareily MP twice.
