Guwahati, May 3 (IANS): Congress' Assam unit President Ripun Bora resigned on Sunday, taking moral responsibility to the party's defeat in the Assembly elections.

Bora, who is a Rajya Sabha member, himself also lost the election in the Gohpur Assembly seat to the Bharatiya Janata Party's Utpal Borah by a margin of 29,294 votes.

In his resignation letter to Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi, Bora said that taking the responsibility for the party's "humiliating" defeat in the Assam Assembly election, he is stepping down from his post.

"I am extremely saddened and disheartened to inform you that despite my immense hard work, we were unable to combat the divisive and communal politics played by the BJP and RSS. Despite all the odds, I did the best in my capacity to revive the party during the last four years as President of Assam PCC," the 65-year-old leader said in his resignation letter.

The Congress, which had secured 26 seats in 2016 elections, won in 15 seats and was leading in 16 seats, while of its "Mahajot" (Grand Alliance) partners, the All India United Democratic Front had won six seats and was leading in 10 seats, the Bodoland Peoples Front (BPF) had won two seats and wa leading in one seat in the Bodo areas and the CPI-M was leading in one seat.

The "Mahajot" performed poorly in most parts of Assam, except perhaps Bengali-dominated southern Assam. Of the 15 seats in southern Assam's Barak Valley comprising three districts -- Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi, it won or was leading in nine seats with the BJP and its allies leading in six seats.