Three big departures: Priyanka Chaturvedi after Tom Vadakkan and Alpesh Thakor. Here are their reasons

In a tremendous setback for the Congress amid the ongoing 2019 Lok Sabha polls, AICC Spokesperson and Convenor Communication, Priyanka Chaturvedi on Friday dumped the Grand Old party after 10 years of association and joined the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena in Mumbai. 

In the resignation letter addressed to Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Chaturvedi spoke about the "misbehaviour'"against her which was ignored by the party's leadership, which had let her down and became the reason for her decision. 

"What saddens me is the despite the safety, dignity, empowerment of women being promoted by the party and has been your call to action the same is not reflected in the action of some of the members of the party. A serious incident and misbehaviour against me by certain party members, while I was on official duty for the party, has been ignored under the guise of all hands needed for elections," the letter reads.

WATCH: Hours After Quitting Congress, Priyanka Chaturvedi Explains Why She's Joining Shiv Sena In Mumbai

Notably, she is not the high-profile leader of Congress who has quit the party amid the poll season. Earlier, Congress' top faces like Alpesh Thakor and Tom Vadakkan had snubbed Rahul Gandhi and quit the party due to various reasons 

On April 10, Former Gujarat Congress leader Alpesh Thakor, who won the 2017 Assembly elections, quit the party a day before the first phase of the Lok Sabha began in the country. 

In the resignation letter to the party's Gujarat leadership, he alleged that the Congress party only gave him and his Thakor Sena "disrespect" and "betrayal".

"For me, my Thakor Sena comes first. If I had the greed for a post, I and my Sena would not have joined Congress in their bad time, thus to take this decision is very unfortunate for us. My Thakor Sena has been disrespected, sidelined and all we have faced is betrayal. My Sena has ordered me to leave that place where you get disrespected, sidelined, and all you get is insult and deceit, so I resign from all post of the Congress party. Only fell short of respect..respect..respect..for which I am pained. One thing we got always is....betrayal..betrayal..betrayal," Alpesh Thakore wrote in his scathing resignation letter hitting out at the Congress party. 

READ | Massive Setback: Alpesh Thakor Quits Congress Just A Day Before Lok Sabha Elections

Prior to this development, the party's former secretary, spokesperson and a close aide to UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi Tom Vadakkan quit the Congress party joined the BJP on March 14. 

Asserting that he was "used and thrown" by the Congress party, Tom Vadakkan had expressed displeasure over the reactions of Rahul Gandhi's leaders, questioning the integrity of Armed Forces, in the aftermath of the Balakot airstrike.

"I left Congress, with a heavy heart, because the attack by the Pakistani terrorist on our land and the reaction from Congress party was sad indeed. It hurt me deeply when you question the integrity of the Armed Forces. If a political party take an anti-national stand then I am left with no option but to leave. You also know the problems. However, this is not the time to comment on this. I am impressed by the polices of Honourable Prime Minister Modi. I also want to add that I have worked for Congress for 20 years. Use and throw phenomenon has started and it is not acceptable for hard-working members," Vadakkan said while addressing the press briefing during his induction into the BJP party. 

READ | HUGE BLOW For Congress: Tom Vadakkan Joins BJP, Says He Was Hurt Deeply When Congress Questioned Integrity Of Armed Forces

Meanwhile, the remaining five phases of the Lok Sabha elections are set to take place on April 23, April 29, May 6, May 12 and May 19, with two phases being successfully completed on April 11 and April 18. Counting of votes will take place on May 23.