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Now, Cong's Chaturvedi is BJP's ally Shiv Sena leader

New Delhi: Following the footsteps of Tom Vadakkan, a leader from Kerala who was a close aide of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Congress national spokesperson and convenor of party's media cell Priyanka Chaturvedi resigned from the grand old party on Friday and joined BJP's oldest ally Shiv Sena.

After quitting all the posts in the party, Chaturvedi sent her resignation to the party's president Rahul Gandhi.

Though Chaturvedi held Congress's move to reinstate party workers who misbehaved with her recently as the reason of her resignation, but party insiders said that Chaturvedi quit the grand old party after she was denied ticket to contest Lok Sabha election from Mumbai North parliamentary constituency.

"Chaturvedi was disappointed over the party fielding cinestar Urmila Matondkar from Mumbai North seat instead of her. A sentence in her resignation letter written to Congress president Rahul Gandhi also indicate that she was dissatisfied over ignorance of her ambitions," the party insiders said.

In her letter to Congress president, Chaturvedi wrote, "I have not asked, sought rewards or returns for myself in the hope that the party and its leadership would take care of my aspirations."

However, Chaturvedi has denied that she quit Congress on denial of Lok Sabha ticket.

At a press conference in Mumbai, Chaturvedi was welcomed into the Sena by the party president Uddhav Thackeray, who said Shiv Sena workers have got a 'good sister' in Chaturvedi. "I'm thankful to Uddhavji for giving me respect and welcoming me into the party," Chaturvedi said after joining Sena.

Chaturvedi told reporters that she was pained after some Congress workers, who had made comments against her, were reinstated by that party. Without naming Congress, she said, "I was very let down. I thought if I didn't fight for my self-respect, I would fail women. I have joined the Sena after a lot of thinking, and understanding my responsibility towards the cause of women."

Meanwhile, the BJP on Friday said that there is "fear" among women after the Congress chose to side with its workers rather than a woman leader who was allegedly abused by them.

"Priyanka Chaturvedi had to leave the Congress after being abused by her own party workers. Instead of giving her protection, the (Congress) party protected its workers. This has created fear among women across the country seeing this face of the Congress," BJP spokesperson Madhav Bhandari said, adding that not just Chaturvedi, other women leaders in the party (Congress) too would not feel safe anymore.

Prior to Chaturvedi, Congress's media cell bigwig Tom Vadakkan had switched his side from Congress to BJP as he was upset over Congress' stand on the Pulwama attacks in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed.

"If a political party takes such a position that is against the country then I'm left with no option but to leave the party," Vadakkan had said in his press conference after joining the BJP in early March.

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