In a major setback for the Assam Congress, party MLA Bharat Chandra Narah has resigned from the primary membership of the party on Sunday, just after stepping down from his role as the chairman of the party’s media cell.

In his one paragraph resignation letter to National Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, he stated, “I do hereby resign from the Indian National Congress with immediate effect”.

Notably, this decision followed the denial of a party ticket to his wife, Ranee Narah, for the Lakhimpur parliamentary constituency. Ranee, a former MP and Union minister of state during UPA 2, lost the nomination race to Uday Shankar Hazarika, who recently joined the Congress from the ruling BJP.

Narah had earlier sent a resignation letter  to PCC chief Bhupen Kumar Borah, stating his immediate resignation and flew to Delhi to meet with the party leadership. Despite his disappointment, Narah affirmed his commitment to serving the party.

This move compounds the Congress's challenges amidst defections to the BJP, adding to the party's concerns ahead of the elections. Ranee's supporters argued her candidacy as a stronger option, citing her previous victories over Hazarika.

Ranee, a former two-time Lok Sabha MP and one-time Rajya Sabha member, last won the Lakhimpur seat in 2009, subsequently serving in the Rajya Sabha from 2016 to 2022.