BJP’s national vice-president and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Kalyan Singh resigned from the primary membership of the party and all other posts on Tuesday. Singh has also ‘returned’ the party ticket to contest from Etah in UP.
His decision came as a jolt to the BJP on the eve of the Lok Sabha elections as he has considerable influence among backwards, particularly Lodh community.
This is the second time that Singh has resigned from the BJP. He had first quit the party in December 1999, and rejoined in January 2004.
Singh attributed the decision to his “continued humiliation and insult” for a long time. “I was feeling frustrated as I have never compromised with my self-respect and dignity,” he said.
Downplaying the resignation, BJP spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy said Kalyan Singh was becoming a source of “embarrassment”, adding “Kalyan’s allegations of humiliation are untrue and unacceptable”.
State BJP president Ramapati Ram Tripathi said Singh’s resignation would have no adverse effect on the party’s poll prospects.
Singh said he was neither floating any new political outfit nor joining any party. He announced he would campaign against the official BJP nominees for the polls but would campaign for Atal Bihari Vajpayee, in case he contests from Lucknow. He said he would contest the polls from Etah but refused to disclose the party whose backing he would seek.
{{/usCountry}}Singh said he was neither floating any new political outfit nor joining any party. He announced he would campaign against the official BJP nominees for the polls but would campaign for Atal Bihari Vajpayee, in case he contests from Lucknow. He said he would contest the polls from Etah but refused to disclose the party whose backing he would seek.
{{/usCountry}}