Summary:
Lucknow, Jan 27 (PTI) Synonymous with the Congress in Uttar Pradesh for decades, several families are now losing their new generation to rival organisations, making it even more difficult for the party to regain lost ground in the crucial state.
These are the families of stalwarts like Kamlapati Tripathi (Varanasi), Noor Bano (Rampur), Jitendra Prasad (Shahjahanpur) and Kunwar C P N Singh (Kushinagar), who were largely unwavering in their loyalty to the Congress.
But their new generation has been looking elsewhere.
From these families, Laliteshwar Tripathi, Haider Ali Khan, Jitin Prasada and RPN Singh have switched sides, leaving the already weakened Congress to promote their own political careers.
While Jitin Prasada and R P N Singh went to the BJP, Haider Ali Khan is now the Apna Dal (S) nominee from Suar seat in Rampur and Laliteshwar Tripathi has joined Mamata Banerjee"s Trinamool Congress.
There is speculation that Laliteshwar Tripathi might be picked as an assembly poll candidate by Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav as Banerjee has already announced that her TMC would not contest in UP.