Cong seeks disqualification of Rae Bareli MLA

Congress moves petition in UP Assembly seeking disqualification of its Rae Bareli MLA

Congress has moved a petition before the Uttar Pradesh Assembly speaker, seeking disqualification of Aditi Singh, for violating the party whip. Aditi was a one-time Rahul loyalist and the lone party MLA from the Lok Sabha constituency of party president Sonia Gandhi.

According to the sources, Congress legislature party leader Aradhana Mishra moved the petition before speaker Hriday Narayan Dixit on Tuesday.

Aditi Singh had, in violation of the party whip, attended the special session of the state Assembly a few days back and had failed to attend party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's protest march in the state capital last month.

A show-cause notice had been issued to Aditi, who recently entered into a wedlock with Angad Saini, a Congress MLA from Punjab, seeking her explanation but she did not reply, Congress sources said.

Aditi not only attended the session but also heaped praise on chief minister Yogi Adityanath in her speech in the Assembly. According to the sources in the BJP, Aditi was in touch with senior saffron party leaders and could join the party in the near future.

Aditi, whose father Akhilesh Singh had been a five-time MLA from Raebareli, had won the 2017 Assembly poll from Raebareli by over 90,000 votes. She also played a crucial role in the victory of Sonia Gandhi from Raebareli LS seat in the recently concluded general elections.

The action against Aditi comes close on the heels of the expulsion of ten senior UP Congress leaders for criticising Priyanka.