Jolt To Cong: Kapil Sibal Files RS Papers As Samajwadi Party-Backed Candidate

New Delhi: In yet another big jolt to Congress, former Union Minister Kapil Sibal on Wednesday filed nomination for Rajya Sabha as an independent, backed by the Samajwadi Party.

Sibal dropped the bombshell of his resignation from the Congress after filing his nomination from Uttar Pradesh, with the support of Samajwadi Party. He told reporters in Lucknow, “I had resigned from the Congress party on May 16.”

“It is important to be an independent voice in Parliament. If an independent voice speaks up then people will believe it is not from any political party,” Sibal said.

The lawyer and formidable leader is one of the senior most leaders in Congress and had been a strong voice for the party. He was a member of the G-23 group of 23 dissenters who had called for a complete overhaul of the party’s leadership and organization.

He had also been vocal about his criticism of the Gandhis’ leadership in recent weeks, which seems to have led to his decision.

Earlier, Hardik Patel had resigned from Congress on May 18. He had taken a swipe at the senior leaders and stated in his resignation statement that whenever the country faced challenges and when the Congress needed leadership, Congress leaders were enjoying abroad.