New Delhi, March 10: Senior Congress leader PC Chacko on Wednesday announced he has quit the party. Addressing a press conference, PC Chacko said he has sent his resignation to Congress interim chief Sonia Gandhi. He alleged there is no democracy in Congress and blamed "rampant groupism" within the party for his exit. His resignation comes weeks before assembly elections in Kerala. Kerala Assembly Elections 2021: Congress Faces Crisis Ahead of Polls, 4 Leaders in Wayanad Resign.

Chacko, a former Member of Parliament from Thrissur Lok Sabha seat in Kerala, has held various position in the Congress party. He also served as state minister in Kerala. "Kerala is facing a crucial election. People want Congress to come back, but there's groupism practiced by top leaders of Congress. I have been arguing with high command that this should be ended. But the high command is also agreeing to the proposal given by both groups," he alleged.

In a recent interview, he said he was disappointed with Congress's condition in various parts of the country. He also said it will be "very unfortunate" for Congress if Rahul Gandhi doesn't take reins of the party. Kerala: 4 Acre Land to Sri M Reveals Secret Pact Between CPI-M And RSS, Says Congress.

"We are disappointed that Congress is going from bad to worse. Our situation in many parts of the country is getting worse because we don’t have a strong leadership," Chacko said. Last week, four Congress leaders resigned in Kerala's Wayanad district ahead of the crucial assembly polls.

The resignations came from former Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee member KK Vishwanathan, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee's secretary MS Vishwanathan, DCC general secretary PK Anil Kumar and Mahila Congress leader Sujaya Venugopal. Kerala will go to polls in a single phase on April 6. The results will be declared on May 2.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 10, 2021 02:31 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).