Lucknow, Mar 22 (IANS): The humiliating defeat of the Congress in the recent Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh has fuelled infighting within party ranks.

Party leaders are now demanding the resignation of Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra who is in charge of Uttar Pradesh.

AICC member Zeeshan Haider, who was recently expelled from the party, has written a letter to Congress President Sonia Gandhi saying that in keeping with the party tradition, Priyanka must also take the responsibility for the party's dismal performance in the Assembly polls and step down from her post.

He stated that in 2012, the then party in charge Digvijay Singh and UPCC president Rita Bahuguna Joshi had resigned after the poll debacle.

Similarly, in charge Ghulam Nabi Azad and UPCC president Raj Babbar also resigned after the 2017 elections, owning responsibility for the defeat.

Haider wrote that while UPCC president Ajay Kumar Lallu has been asked to put in his papers, there is no word on Priyanka's resignation.

"Congress candidates have forfeited their deposits on 387 sets out of the 400 seats that the party contested. This directly reflects on the performance of Priyanka and her team," he stated.

Haider was apparently expelled from the party because he questioned the 'authority' of Priyanka's personal secretary Sandeep Singh who is known to have irked the maximum number of senior Congress leader with his behaviour.