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Chandigarh: In a significant political development, senior Congress leader and former finance minister Prof. Sampat Singh has resigned from the Indian National Congress, alleging neglect, irregularities in ticket distribution, and a lack of accountability for the party’s repeated defeats since 2014.

On Sunday, in a scathing four-page resignation letter addressed to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Prof. Sampat Singh stated that both the state and national leadership had failed to uphold internal democracy, reducing the party to a “personal fiefdom.” He also accused the state leadership of prioritising “personal and family interests over the organisation.”

Referring to the party’s performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha and Assembly polls, he wrote that while surveys had predicted a Congress comeback, “vote theft and ticket manipulation” led to humiliating losses. “No accountability was fixed for 11 years of continuous defeat,” he noted.

Prof. Sampat Singh — a six-time MLA, two-time minister, and a seasoned politician known for his sharp intellect — had joined the Congress in 2009 after leaving the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD). He earlier served as Finance and Education Minister in the Bansi Lal government and is widely regarded as one of Haryana’s most articulate voices on governance and policy.

Sources close to the veteran leader indicate that he is likely to return to the INLD, the party with which he began his political journey. His resignation comes at a time when INLD is looking to rebuild its base, especially in Fatehabad, Hisar and Sirsa regions — areas where Sampat Singh commands a loyal following.

In his letter, Sampat Singh also cited the “mass exodus” of several senior Congress leaders from Haryana — including Bhajan Lal, Rao Inderjit Singh, Kuldeep Bishnoi, Dharambir Singh and Ashok Tanwar — as evidence of the party’s “repeated failure to respect capable leaders.”

He wrote, “The people of Haryana have lost faith in both the state and national leadership of the Congress. I, too, have lost faith in their ability to represent the people of Haryana.”

With this resignation, the Congress faces another major setback in Haryana’s political landscape — and speculation is rife that Prof. Sampat Singh’s return to INLD could give a fresh intellectual and organisational boost to the Chautala-led outfit ahead of the 2029 elections.