Raj Babbar resigns as UP Congress chief

NEW DELHI: In a jolt to the Congress party ahead of 2019 general elections, actor-turned-politician Raj Babbar has resigned from the post of party's Uttar Pradesh unit chief on Wednesday. According to sources, Babbar has tendered his resignation after the recently held 84th Congress plenary session was over. Babbar was unhappy over not given a chance to address the Congress plenary session while leaders like Nadeem Javed and Akhilesh Pratap Singh were seen conducting the session, sources said. "New arrangements are being worked out in the Congress. Whatever new positions will be given by party president, we will take them up and work towards 2019," Babbar told ANI. Names of Jitin Prasad, Rajesh Mishra and Laliteshpati Tripathi are now doing rounds for Congress state unit chief's post. Sources said there is a possibility that the party will appoint a state president and four vice-presidents for Uttar Pradesh. Each of the four vice-presidents will be allotted a zone wherein he will work to get the desired results for the party. Earlier on Monday, Goa Congress President Shantaram Naik had resigned from his post. Rahul Gandhi had announced on Sunday in his concluding speech at the party's plenary session that he wanted to give the younger generation a chance to come forward and lead the party.