Former Congress MP from Unnao, Annu Tandon, tendered her resignation from the party’s primary membership and the All India Congress Committee today, though the state leadership claimed that she had been removed from the party.
In a note issued to the media and her party workers, Tandon said, “..there is a misalignment between the state level leadership and me and I do not see their support in allowing me to work since the past several months. The loss I faced in the 2019 election was not as painful as seeing the party organization disintegrate and decimate itself since then. The State leadership of the party has focussed only on social media management and self-branding and is oblivious of the deep divisions in the party and the voters it has thus caused”.
In 2009, Tandon had won the Unnao seat—one of the largest Lok Sabha constituencies in the country—by over three lakh votes. In 2019, she had polled the third highest number of votes on the seat which was won by BJP's Sakshi Maharaj.
In her letter, Tandon dispelled any speculation about a possible rift with the party’s top leadership. She wrote, “At no time during my association with the Congress did I not have access to the senior leadership. I have received warmth and guidance from both Congress Presidents I have served under, Smt. Sonia Gandhi and Sh. Rahul Gandhi….My ideology and principles have been aligned with the senior leadership of the Party and my resignation does not change them”.
Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Kumar Lallu said that Tandon had been expelled for “anti-party activities”.
When asked what these activities were he said, “She had been disinterested in party activities. Her only concern was the elections. After that she did not participate in any party activities or programmes.”
Lallu said that Tandon had been expelled from the party earlier in the day. “Her resignation came after the expulsion,” he said.
Senior Congress party members told THE WEEK that Tandon had felt ignored by the party’s top leadership for the past many months. Her style of functioning, one member said, was ‘corporate’.
“She relied more on her paid employees than party workers in Unnao,” said one member.
Yet Tandon remains hugely popular in Unnao, with her ancestral home witnessing multiple walk-ins when she is there. Even in her absence, her staff accepts applications and keep communication lines open.
“Her disenchantment with the party started when Raj Babbar was appointed the state party chief (2016-19). She had been feeling ignored for many months now—by both the central leadership and the state leadership. Her inputs were not sought when appointing the district Congress chief or when announcing the candidate for the Vidhan Sabha bypoll,” another party member said.
Speculation is rife that Tandon will join the Samajwadi Party.
She, however, told THE WEEK, “I will take time to consult with my workers. No decisions have been made.”
