Samata Party leader and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ramchandra Kesari on Wednesday night resigned from the post of legislature party leader in the Jharkhand assembly.

Kesari told PTI in capital Ranchi that he had faxed the resignation letter to party president George Fernandes.

He also sent copies of the letter to Union Railway Minister Nitish Kumar and Jharkhand Speaker Indersingh Namdhari.

Kesari's resignation comes in the wake of four of his ministerial and party colleagues demanding a change of leadership in the state's ruling coalition led by the BJP's Babulal Marandi.