Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has formally submitted his resignation to the Governor’s Secretary at Lok Bhavan today. Addressing the media, he confirmed that the resignation letter was officially handed over to the Secretary.

 

Mr. Siddaramaiah further stated that he requested the Governor to invite the Chief Minister-designate D.K. Shivakumar to assume office, as his government enjoys an absolute majority in the Assembly with the support of over 136 MLAs. 

 

He informed that the High Command had offered him a Rajya Sabha seat, which, he added, he had humbly refused. Saying that he is not interested in national politics, the outgoing Chief Minister said that he will continue to work for the people of the state.

 

Siddaramaiah became the Chief Minister of Karnataka for the second time in May 2023 after the Congress secured victory in the Assembly elections. He previously served as the Chief Minister from 2013 to 2018. He has the distinction of being the longest-serving Chief Minister of the state, completing eight years in two tenures. He is also known to have presented 17 state budgets, both as Chief Minister and earlier as Finance Minister. With his resignation, the long-drawn power tussle in the state has come to an end.

 

Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar is one of the senior leaders of the Karnataka Congress. He played a key role in the Congress party’s victory in the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections.