Dropping a bombshell, veteran politician Kapil Sibal Wednesday announced he has quit the Congress after filing nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha with the support of Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party (SP).

“I had resigned from the Congress party on May 16,” Sibal said, stunning the media.

“I have filed my papers as an independent candidate. It is important to be an independent voice in parliament. If an independent voice speaks up then people will believe it is not linked to any political party,” he added.

Sibal is among the 23 leaders, dubbed as G-23, who had written to Congress president Sonia Gandhi seeking a complete overhaul of the party’s leadership and organisation.

Sibal, whose Rajya Sabha term ends in July, was sent to Parliament’s upper house by the Congress from Uttar Pradesh.

The Congress this time will not get any chance to send its representatives to Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh as it has only two MLAs in the state assembly.