Kapil Sibal resigns from Congress, files Rajya Sabha nomination as Independent Candidate

Kapil Sibal Congress Resignation: Veteran Congress leader Kapil Sibal announced on May 25, 2022 that he has resigned from the Indian National Congress. The political leader filed his nomination for Rajya Sabha as an independent candidate with the support of the Samajwadi Party in the presence of SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav.

Kapil Sibal said after filing nomination of Rajya Sabha that he is no longer a Congress leader and that he had resigned from the Congress Party on May 16. He said, "I'll not say anything about Congress. I've resigned, so it's not appropriate for me to say anything about Congress. It's not easy to leave a relationship of 30-31 years."

Lucknow | I'll not say anything about Congress. I've resigned, so it's not appropriate for me to say anything about Congress. It's not easy to leave a relationship of 30-31 years: Kapil Sibal after filling nomination of Rajya Sabha with the support of the Samajwadi Party pic.twitter.com/mshm5IVCaV

— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) May 25, 2022

"I have filed my papers as an independent candidate. It is important to be an independent voice in parliament. If an independent voice speaks up then people will believe it is not linked to any political party," he said. "In past, only a few came to House by getting elected independently, especially in Rajya Sabha. I've got a big opportunity and it has been given to me by Akhilesh Yadav, Shivpal Yadav, Azam Khan. I will raise the issues of the country in the House," he added. 

Lucknow, UP | In past, only a few came to House by getting elected independently, especially in Rajya Sabha. I've got a big opportunity and it has been given to me by Akhilesh Yadav, Shivpal Yadav, Azam Khan. I will raise the issues of the country in the House: Kapil Sibal pic.twitter.com/DuBtixSRyy

— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) May 25, 2022

Another High Profile Exit from Congress in 2022

Kapil Sibal reportedly resigned a day after Congress brainstorming session 'Chintan Shivir' was held in Udaipur to discuss a roadmap for the grand old party's revival after massive defeats in latest elections. Sibal had been left out of the session and was also not a part of the Congress' advisory groups. He is the fifth senior Congress leader to exit the party in the last five months. 

Sibal is an ace lawyer who has represented politicians across the spectrum. He was the driving force behind the "G-23" or group of 23 dissenters who had called for a complete overhaul of the party's leadership and organization in a letter to party president Sonia Gandhi two years ago.

Following are names of 5 Congress Leaders who exited the party in 2022:

1. Sunil Jakhar: The former Punjab Congress chief quit Congress and joined the BJP last week citing issues such as  ‘nationalism’, ‘brotherhood’ and ‘unity’ in Punjab. He had been removed from all positions by Congress for alleged anti-party activities last month. 

2. Hardik Patel: The Patidar leader had quit Congress earlier this month after being sidelined by the party. 

3. Ripun Bora: The former Assam PCC chief quit Congress and joined the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in April. He pointed out infighting within the Congress in his resignation letter, which he claimed, had “demoralised” party workers and paved the way for BJP to grow in the state. 

4. Ashwani Kumar: The former law minister quit Congress in February after almost 4 decades, saying that the move is consistent with his dignity. 

5. RPN Singh: Another Congress veteran, whose association with the party totals to almost 32 years quit the party and joined the BJP ahead of the Uttar Pradesh polls, saying that the party is no longer what it used to be.