New Delhi: In one of the biggest exit blows yet, Congress’s veteran leader Kapil Sibal quit the party on Wednesday. Sibal announced his exit shortly after filing his Rajya Sabha nomination papers as an independent candidate backed by Samajwadi Party(SP).
SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav was present at the time of filing nomination. Since taking up of the Azam Khan case, the prolific lawyer’s name did rounds in SP circles as their likely RS candidate. “If he(Sibal) managed to pursue Azam Khan’s bail successfully and got the party veteran out of jail, the party will send him to the Upper House,” a SP senior had said.
Sibal was part of the G-23 group(G23) that revolted hoping to bring fundamental changes to Congress structure in terms of top leaderships.
11 Rajya Saba seats from Uttar Pradesh are slated for polls.
Sibal’s departure comes just days after high-projile exits of hardik Patel and Sunil Jakhar from Congress.
Sibal had stayed out of Chintan Shivir held by Congress in Udaipur in hopes to revive the party.
