Former Congress minister, Member of Parliament and city Congress president Gurudas Kamat has decided to retire from active politics. The 61-year-old politician sent out a statement yesterday, saying he was stepping down from all party posts.

In a statement he sent to his supporters yesterday, he said that for several months, he felt he needed to take a backseat to enable others to get an opportunity. He said he met Congress president Sonia Gandhi about 10 days ago and expressed a desire to resign from all party posts.