Congres looses senior leader RPN Singh to BJP in UP

• Former Union Minister and senior Congress leader R P N Singh joined the BJP on Monday. He termed his exist of the party and joining the ruling party in the state as 'Der aaye durust aaye' (better late than never).

• He joined the BJP at the party’s headquarters in New Delhi flanked by Education Minister and BJP in charge of Uttar Pradesh, Dharmendra Pradhan, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindhia and information and broadcasting minister Anurag Thakur.

• The BJP is counting on the leadership of RPN Singh, who hails from the Sainthwar sub caste among non-Yadav OBC Kurmis, and is also the scion of the princely state of Padrauna- it will help them garner votes from the sub-group.

• The Congress on its part termed Mr Singh’s exit, a day after he had been included in a list of star campaigners released by the party, as the actions of a “coward”.