Jammu, June 17: The Bhim Singh-led Panthers Party today quit as a partner in the Jammu and Kashmir government and announced it would chart an independent course.

The pullout by the party, which has four members in the Assembly, will not affect the fate of the ruling coalition but its numbers will come down to 56 from 60.

Singh announced the decision at a news conference. “We were in the government, hoping against hope that it would fulfil its promises made to the people of Jammu and Kashmir, especially the Jammu region.”

The party has been upset with the government’s failure to set up the delimitation panel. The exercise is expected to result in more seats for the Jammu region, the party’s base.