Already battling for survival in Uttar Pradesh, the biggest state of the country that has the maximum number of 80 Lok Sabha seats, the Congress on Wednesday received a big jolt when its candidate from Mathura, Vijendra Singh, left the party to join the rival Bharatiya Janata Party.

Singh, a boxing sensation, was fielded by Congress to give a potential challenge to film actress and BJP’s sitting MP from Mathura, Hema Malini. Singh was earlier fielded by Congress from South Delhi constituency in the 2019 parliamentary election but he lost.

MORE EMBARRASSMENT

Meanwhile, in another embarrassing situation for the Congress, a group of truck owners in Bulandshahr have held back the containers used in Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra as they have not been paid their dues. The containers belong to a transport company.

The aggrieved truckers – Moti Singh, Satyendra Singh, Dharmendra Singh and Ram Krishan of Anupshahr – have now written to the station in-charge of the local police station, seeking redressal.

They have said that they have held back 25 containers belonging to transporters Manoj Kumar of Haridwar Transport Service in Delhi and Anil Kaushik.

These containers were taken for Rahul Gandhi’s rally in December last year.

The truckers have urged the police officer to intervene in the matter and ensure their payment, running into lakhs of rupees, so that the containers can be returned to the transporters.

The transporters, according to sources, claim that the money is yet to be paid by Congress to them. The aggrieved truckers have now threatened that they would approach the courts if they do not get their payment.

When contacted, a UP Congress Committee spokesman said that he was not aware of the matter and the party leaders in Delhi should be contacted.