Senior Congress leader Shakeel Ahmad resigns from party after Bihar polls

New Delhi: Congress leader Shakeel Ahmad on Tuesday announced his resignation from the party citing differences with local leadership in Bihar, where the second and last phase of polling concluded earlier in the day.

Ahmad, who hails from Bihar, is a former Union minister of state for home, communications and IT and a former AICC general secretary.

He was the president of Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee from 2000 to 2003.

Ahmad has been a three-time MLA, 1985-90, 1990-95 and 2000-2004, and twice MP, 1998 and 2004, from Bihar. He also served as a minister in the Bihar cabinet and held the health portfolio.

Ahmad, a doctor by profession and a third generation politician, sent his resignation to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.

In his letter, he said he continues to believe in the Congress ideology, and would not be joining any party.

"With a heavy heart, I have decided to resign from the membership of the Congress party. My resignation does not mean that I will join another party. Indeed, I have no intention of doing so. Like my forefathers, I have complete faith in the ideology and principles of the Congress party, and I will forever remain a supporter of these ideologies and principles. I can assure you, the last vote of my life will also go to the Congress," he wrote to Kharge.

Ahmad said his grandfather, Ahmad Ghafoor, was elected as a member of the legislative assembly in 1937. After his death, his father, Shakoor Ahmad, was elected MLA five times between 1952 and 1977 and served in various posts.

Following his death in 1981, Ahmad said he represented Congress as an MLA and a member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) five times.

"Though I had made the decision to leave the party earlier, I am announcing it today and polling has ended. I did not want any wrong message to be sent before the vote, and cause the party to lose even five votes.

"Due to health reasons, I was unable to campaign this time. However, I hope that the party will gain more seats than the last assembly elections, and our coalition will form the government.

"Finally, I would like to emphasise that my differences are with certain individuals within the party, and my belief in the party's ideology and principles remains steadfast.

"As such, please consider this letter as my resignation from the primary membership of the Indian National Congress party," Ahmad said.

Sources close to him said he was upset over the treatment meted out to him by the state leadership in Bihar.