Political exodus seems to continue in Uttar Pradesh Congress just months ahead of the 2022 Assembly elections as the state vice president Pankaj Malik and his father Harendra Malik, a former MP and a member of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s advisory committee have resigned from the party. Pankaj Malik is the second vice president to quit the party after Lalitesh Pati Tripathi.

Pankaj Malik, also a former MLA, released to the media a letter he has sent to the state Congress president, resigning from the primary membership of the Congress. The Malik family hails from the Muzaffarnagar district of Western Uttar Pradesh.

At a press conference held in Muzaffarnagar, senior Congress leader and former MP Harendra Malik also announced his decision to leave the party.

He said that he has not yet taken the decision of joining any other political party but sources said that the father and son were heading towards Samajwadi Party.

The development came on a day Priyanka Gandhi announced that the Congress will give 40 per cent tickets to women in the coming UP assembly elections.

After resigning from the Congress party, while speaking to the media, Harendra accused people close to Priyanka of hijacking the party. Priyanka was to start the Pratigya Yatra from Saharanpur on October 17.

But this program could not start due to a lack of support from the Congress leaders of the area. Meanwhile, speculations were already rife about Congress leader Imran Masood also switching over to SP before the 2022 elections. Masood had recently given a statement in favour of SP and said that only Samajwadi Party can defeat BJP in UP.

Harendra started his political career with former RLD Chief Chaudhary Ajit Singh; at that time he was in Janata Dal. Malik became MLA for the first time from Khatauni in 1989 on a Janata Dal ticket. After this, he was elected MLA from the Lok Dal from Baghra seat of Muzaffarnagar.

Later, he switched over to Samajwadi Party, post which he became a Rajya Sabha MP from Haryana from the Indian National Lok Dal. Later on, he went to Congress and contested the last Lok Sabha elections from Kairana but lost. His son Pankaj has been MLA twice. Harendra has sent his resignation to Sonia Gandhi and Pankaj has sent his resignation to the UP Congress President.

(With IANS inputs)