Setback for Congress in Maharashtra: Senior leader Gurudas Kamat quits party

Former member of Parliament and senior Congress leader Gurudas Kamat on Monday resigned from primary membership of the party and announced his retirement from politics. The resignation is a major setback to the grand old party in the key state of Maharashtra.[caption id="attachment_2819922" align="alignleft" width="380"] File photo of Gurudas Kamat. Image courtesy News18.com[/caption]In his resignation letter, Kamat has said, "For several months now, I have felt I need to take a backseat to enable others to get the opportunity. I met Hon Congress president about ten days ago and expressed a desire to resign."Kamat was known as a loyalist of the Gandhi family and his resignation has been met with surprise in political circles, as per a report in Loksatta.Gurudas Kamat was the leader who challenged the three-decade long dominance of Murli Deora in the Mumbai Congress, as pointed by Smita Deshmukh in an article on Firstpost.Kamat has served as Minister of State for Home Affairs between 2009 and 2011, as per a report by NDTV.