As the Congress looks to regain lost ground in Uttar Pradesh under the leadership of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the party received a jolt on Friday with its state unit vice-president Gayadeen Anuragi switching over to the Samajwadi Party (SP).
Gayadeen Anuragi joined the SP in the presence of its national president Akhilesh Yadav at a press conference.
The development comes close on the heels of another UP Congress vice-president, Lalitesh Pati Tripathi, grandson of veteran party leader Kamlapati Tripathi, resigning from all posts and primary membership of the party.
This came a few months after ex-Union minister Jitin Prasada, the son of former Congress leader Jitendra Prasad, crossed over to the BJP.
Prasada, a prominent Brahmin leader, was inducted in the Yogi Adityanath Cabinet on Sunday.
When asked about his joining the Samajwadi Party, Mr Anuragi, a former MLA from Rath in Hamirpur, claimed that he was not feeling comfortable in the Congress as he was not being heard.
This came on a day when Priyanka Gandhi Vadra completed a five-day visit to the state to review the party's poll preparedness.
In the 2017 state elections, the Congress managed to win only seven seats in the 403-member legislative assembly.
