Nagpur: Close on the heels of senior Congress leaders N K P Salve and Vasant Sathe quitting the party to form "Vidarbha Congress", three former ministers and two ex-MLCs on August 20 parted ways with the Congress to join the newly-formed outfit for promoting the cause of separate Vidarbha.

Those who joined "Vidarbha Congress" include former ministers T G Deshmukh, Vinod Gudadhe Patil and Haribhau Naik, and former MLCs Dr Madhukar Wasnik and Krishnarao Pandav.

Announcing their resignations, former MP Banwarilal Purohit, who had quit the Congress on August 17 along with Salve and Sathe, said the papers would be sent to Congress president Sonia Gandhi and a copy to Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) chief Ranjeet Deshmukh.

These resignations came after a section of the Press accused the leaders of not quitting the party despite their agreeing to quit on August 17.

Though all the five were present at a meeting at Salve's residence on August 17, they did not put in their papers on that day.

PTI