Lucknow Sep 25 PTI Despite Priyanka Gandhi Vadras earnest effort to gear up the Congress for next years Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls the problem of senior leaders choosing to part ways continues to vex the partyThe latest to bid adieu is Lalitesh Pati Tripathi the great-grandson of late Congress stalwart Kamalapati Tripathi This came a few months after ex-Union minister Jitin Prasada the son of former Congress leader Jitendra Prasad crossed over to the BJPWhile some in the Congress blamed opponents of poaching it leaders especially those belonging to the Brahmin caste others termed the quitting unfortunate which these leaders will regret in near futureHowever expelled Congressman and former MLC Siraj Mehdi claimed that this trend shows dissatisfaction within the party leadership and it is not confined to Uttar PradeshCongress leaders from Ballia -- Shailendra Singh and Rajesh Singh -- have recently quit the party alleging that old and loyal party people were being neglectedThese exits come at a time when the Congress is working hard to avoid the humiliation of the 2017 Assembly polls when it could win just seven seats in the 403-member Uttar Pradesh AssemblyThe grand old party has already announced that it will fight the 2021 elections without aligning with any big political partySome in the Congress are of the view that a poaching game is going on and the party leadership must remain alertBoth Jitin Prasad and Lalitesh Tripathi are big names despite the Congress being out of power for 30 years in the state now Their parting ways with the party as the election approaches has a meaning a leader of the Congress Uttar Pradesh unit saidTripathi the vice-president of Congress Uttar Pradesh unit on Thursday said he has resigned from all posts and primary membership of the partyHe said it was an emotional decision for him to move away from the commitment of more than 100 years that his family had shownBut in the present circumstances when the families that had given their blood and sweat for the party and the workers who braved beatings for the party movement were not being respected his conscience does not allow him to continue in any position Tripathi had saidJitin Prasada while joining the BJP a few months ago had said that he parted ways with the Congress not because of any individual or for any post but due to the partys shrinking vote base and the rising disconnect between it and the people of Uttar PradeshLalitesh Tripathis exit is unfortunate He is a fourth-generation leader of his family which had been very close to the Nehru-Gandhi family and got proper respect and responsibility member of the media advisory team Dwijendra Tripathi told PTI Another leader pointed out that leaders who got everything in the party are now running away seeking better prospects in other parties as the elections are closeThey will regret this decision when they will not get as much respect as they got here he claimed in reference to Jitin PrasadaOn the other hand Mehdi claimed that senior leaders were quitting the party due to the humiliation they faced Congress former women wing chief Sushmita Devand ex-Punjab chief minister Amrinder Singh felt humiliated in the party in recent times he claimed Mehdi was among the 11 senior leaders who were expelled from the Congress in 2019 for six years for allegedly tarnishing the partys image and opposing its leaderships decisions at public forumsThe problem is that despite seeking time from the leadership for an audience party people are not able to connect with them Mehdi claimed adding that people like him who have stayed with the party for long want it to overcome all hurdles and regain strengthHe said that he will soon write Amrinder Singh and other Congress leaders inviting them to tour Uttar Pradesh and help in restoring the pride of the party PTI SAB SNS NSD