Click to play videoNew Delhi: Former Union minister and ex-Congress Member of Parliament (MP) Akhilesh Das joined the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in the presence of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Saturday.
He was immediately rewarded by Mayawati, who appointed him National General Secretary and also the party's official candidate for the Lucknow Lok Sabha seat in the next General Elections.
Akhilesh, who was a Rajya Sabha MP, quit the Congress on April 6, alleging that Rahul Gandhi and his coterie were running the party.
Some more Congress leaders from the state are believed to be thinking about leaving the party.
A section of the party in UP now firmly believes that chances of the party's revival are very thin in the near future. The disgruntled Congress functionaries feel that the best option for them is to join BSP.
Rahul Gandhi's blueprint for Congress' success in UP is greater involvement of party members and that everybody should contest polls and prove their electoral worth.
It is this, which is putting many Congress leaders off. They argue that if they have to contest, then why not from the BSP. After all, BSP is the biggest party in the state and Mayawati had single-handedly led the party to a massive victory in the Assembly polls in 2007.
Both Rahul and Mayawati talk of social engineering. While Mayawati has been successful, Rahul has had to face many stumbling blocks.
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