 "Congress state leaders quit ahead of Assembly polls")
Resignations of ministers Narayan Rane in Maharashtra and Hemanta Biswa Sarma in Assam come as the party gears up for Assembly elections in these.
In West Bengal, three members of the legislative Assembly (MLAs) quit the Congress and moved to the ruling Trinamool Congress. In Haryana, Birendra Singh refused to fight the coming polls under Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. In Jammu and Kashmir, Chowdhary Lal Singh quit.
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Party spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said Rane and Sarma had over the past year publicly stated their desire to be chief minister. Both had demanded the incumbents be replaced. "No party can bow to dissidence from one person," Singhvi said.
The Assam crisis came to a head with Sarma, backed by 38 MLAs, expressing no confidence in chief minister Tarun Gogoi. He had served an ultimatum to the Congress high command that Gogoi be replaced before August 2, the beginning of the Assembly session.
According to party sources, though the high command is sympathetic to both sides, Gogoi has the support of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi. Sarma on Monday quit as minister.
"It is not a rebellion against Rahul at all. The issue is some people are not happy with the chief minister. But a majority are with him," Congress leader Kamal Nath said.
Rane, who quit the Prithviraj Chavan-led government in Maharashtra, said, "I don't want to be a partner in defeat in the Assembly polls. That is why I have quit." Rane has been an aspirant for chief minister and claimed he had an assurance from the Congress when he defected from the Shiv Sena.
Congress leaders privately admit this is a crisis. "What is worrying is the electoral challenge. There was a Modi wave in the Lok Sabha polls and these Assembly elections come in six months of it," said a senior leader.
In the faction-ridden Haryana Congress, former All India Congress Committee Secretary Birendra Singh said, "If Hooda leads the campaign in Haryana, I will not be a part of it." There is speculation Singh might quit the party soon. The party can seek comfort from that the Assam Assembly polls are set for 2016. But Haryana and Maharashtra go to polls this year.
SENIOR EXITS
The Congress party faces revolt in several states
Narayan Rane quit the Prithviraj Chavan-led Maharashtra cabinet
Former Congress MP from Jammu & Kashmir Lal Singh quits party after differences with leaders
Birendra Singh, Haryana Congress leader, lashes at Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda
Congress MLAs Asit Kumar Mal of Hansan, Md Ghulam Rabbani of Goalpokher and Umapada Bauri of Para constituency in West Bengal join TMC