In a major setback for the Congress party, senior leader Kapil Sibal on Wednesday informed that he resigned from the grand-old party.

Confirming the development, Sibad said that he had tendered his resignation from Congress on May 16.

The resignation came to light after Sibal filed a nomination for the Rajya Sabha elections, with the support of the Samajwadi Party.

It is important for an independent voice to be heard. When an independent member's voice will rise, people will know that I am not linked to any party,” he said.

"The nomination form, which I have filled, is as an independent candidate. I am grateful to Akhilesh Yadav and Azam Khan for backing my candidature. I am happy I will be an independent member after scrutiny of my nomination paper," he added.

The announcement by Sibal comes just a day after the Congress announced the formation of several committees for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections which also included G-23 members Mukul Wasnik and Ghulam Nabi Azad.

It may be mentioned that the Congress party has been witnessing a steady exodus in the last few days.

Earlier, Gujarat Congress leader Hardik Patel and Sunil Jakhar, who was once touted as one of the chief ministerial faces ahead of the Punjab assembly elections, resigned from the party.

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