Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday submitted his resignation to Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot’s Special Secretary, Prabhu Shankar, at Lok Bhavan, bringing an end to his tenure as the state’s longest-serving Chief Minister.
The resignation also brought the curtain down on weeks of intense political speculation over a possible leadership change in Karnataka.
Siddaramaiah submitted his resignation letter in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, cabinet ministers and senior Congress leaders.
Addressing a joint press conference in Bengaluru alongside Shivakumar and Home Minister G. Parameshwara, Siddaramaiah said: “I have submitted my resignation from the post of Chief Minister to the Governor’s Secretary.”
“The Governor was not in town and officials informed me that he would return by tonight. In this situation, I submitted my resignation letter to the Governor’s Secretary. I have always maintained, both inside and outside the Assembly, that I would step down whenever directed by the party high command. Two days ago, the high command asked me to resign, and I have honoured that commitment,” he said.
With his resignation, Siddaramaiah, 78, joins a select group of Karnataka leaders who have served as Chief Minister more than once, including S. Nijalingappa, Veerendra Patil, D. Devaraj Urs, Ramakrishna Hegde, H.D. Kumaraswamy and B.S. Yediyurappa.
(With agency inputs)
