He said, Siddaramaiah shall continue to function as CM till alternative arrangements are made.
Key Points
- Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has resigned from his position.
- Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot accepted Siddaramaiah's resignation, dissolving the Council of Ministers.
- Siddaramaiah will continue as Chief Minister until a successor is appointed.
- D K Shivakumar is expected to succeed Siddaramaiah as the new Chief Minister of Karnataka.
- The decision follows directions from the Congress high command for a leadership change in Karnataka.
Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot on Friday accepted the resignation of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
Siddaramaiah had submitted his resignation to the Governor's Special Secretary at Lok Bhavan in Bengaluru, on Thursday, in the latter's absence.
Karnataka Leadership Change: What's Next?
'In exercise of the powers conferred on me under Article 164(1) of the constitution of India, I, Thaawarchand Gehlot, Governor of Karnataka, have accepted the resignation of Shri. Siddaramaiah, Chief Minister of Karnataka and dissolved the Council of Ministers headed by him with immediate effect,' the Governor said in the notification.
He said, Siddaramaiah shall continue to function as CM till alternative arrangements are made.
Congress High Command's Role in Karnataka Politics
Both Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar, who is most likely to succeed him, are in Delhi to meet the Congress high command and discuss the transition of power, and formation of the new cabinet.
At a breakfast meeting hosted at his residence for cabinet colleagues on Thursday, Siddaramaiah informed Ministers of his decision to step down and stated that Shivakumar would be his successor, as per the directions of the Congress high command, said several ministers who attended the meeting.
Siddaramaiah's Future Within the Congress Party
The move follows the Congress high command asking Siddaramaiah to make way for a leadership change in the state and offering him a central role in the party with a Rajya Sabha seat.
Siddaramaiah has not accepted the central role.
Sources indicate Siddaramaiah decided to step down after a message came directly from top party leader Rahul Gandhi.
Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar were summoned to Delhi on Tuesday by the party, where there were back-to-back meetings at the Congress headquarters involving Rahul Gandhi, All India Congress Committee president Mallikarjun Kharge, party general secretaries K C Venugopal and Surjewala.
