Punjab Congress President Sunil Jakhar, who lost the Lok Sabha election from Gurdaspur to BJP candidate and actor Sunny Deol, has sent his resignation from the post to party chief Rahul Gandhi.
In the resignation letter dated 24 May, Jakhar took moral responsibility for losing his seat.
"Everyone supported me fully and put in their best for me but I was unable to defend my seat. In such a scenario I cannot continue as state chief. I feel a moral responsibility to quit," said Jakhar, who lost by over 77,000 votes.
Reacting to the resignation, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh called the move totally unnecessary, given the impressive performance of the party in the state.
"Had he discussed the matter with me I would have categorically advised him against quitting as PPCC President," IANS reported quoting a statement by Singh.
The Congress won eight of the 13 seats in Punjab and overall bagged 52 out of the 543 Lok Sabha seats.
Congress Leaders Tender Resignation Post Election Debacle
The resignation comes at a time when many senior leaders have stepped down from their posts, following the party’s performance in the Lok Sabha polls.
It was also reported that Gandhi offered to resign from his post during the CWC meeting on 25 May. The resignation was “unanimously” declined by Congress leaders during the meeting.
(With inputs from The Indian Express)
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