Congress leader Sushmita Dev quits party,sends letter to Sonia Gandhi

Congress party got a big shock on Monday morning when its Mahila Congress Chief and ex- MP Sushmita Dev quit the party and wrote a letter to chief Sonia Gandhi. The change in her Twitter bio to “Former Member” of the party was the first clue on Monday morning that she has quit. Sushmita Dev's letter offered no reason for her quitting the Congress, her party of three decades, simply saying she was “beginning a new chapter of public service”.Reports said she also exited a party WhatsApp group. Ms Dev was among Congress leaders whose Twitter handle was locked.

"I cherish my three-decade-long association with the National Congress. May I take this opportunity to thank the party, all its leaders, members and workers who have been my memorable journey," she said in her letter.Sushmita Dev is the daughter of Assam Congress stalwart and influential Bengali leader Santosh Mohan Dev. Sushmita Dev had earlier been elected MP from the Silchar seat, which had been the stronghold of her father.