UP Congress Vice President Pankaj Malik, his father Harendra quit party ahead 2022 polls

In a massive jolt to Congress in Uttar Pradesh, its state unit-vice president Pankaj Malik and his father Harendra Malik, who was a member of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's advisory committee, quit the party on Tuesday. Pankaj Malik, also a former MLA, in a letter to the state Congress president informed that he was resigning from the primary membership of the party. 

In his resignation letter, Pankaj Malik wrote that he was resigning from the memberships of the Congress party, and as an advisor to Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Apart from this, during a press conference, senior Congress leader and former MP Harendra Malik announced his decision that he will too leave the party. He said that he has not yet decided to join any political party and will take a decision after a discussion with his supporters. The development came on the same day as Priyanka Gandhi announced that Congress would allot 40% tickets to women in the coming UP assembly elections.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's promise to give 40% poll tickets to Women

In a major development on Monday, the Congress party announced to allocate 40% of its poll tickets for the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly poll to women. Joined by party spokesperson Supriya Shrinate and Legislative Party leader Aradhana Misra, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra made this important announcement during a press briefing on Tuesday. The following decision came at a juncture when the Women's Reservation Bill which aims to reserve one-third of all seats for women in the Lok Sabha and the state legislative assemblies is pending for several years.

Announcing her decision, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said, "If it (proportion of tickets allocated to women) increases here, it will increase at the national level too. I am the UP in charge. We have taken a decision here with everyone's consent. The rationale for this is that women are not coming together to become a force. They are being divided into caste and religion. The political parties feel that they can women happy by giving a gas cylinder of Rs.2000. But the struggle of women is a very long one." 

(Image: Harendra Malik/Pankaj Malik-Facebook/PTI)

(Inputs: PTI)