India's Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah Resigns, Congress Backs Shivakumar To Take Over

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Siddaramaiah resigned as chief minister of the southern Indian state of Karnataka on Thursday afternoon, submitting his papers to the governor's office. Deputy chief minister D.K. Shivakumar, who is likely to take over as the chief minister, accompanied Siddaramaiah to the governor's complex. Thaawarchand Gehlot, the governor, is travelling and the resignation letter was handed over to his special secretary.

Earlier in the morning, Siddaramaiah, 77, informed his cabinet colleagues that he had decided to quit and Shivakumar, seen as his key rival in the party, would take over the top post. The outgoing chief minister and his deputy displayed warmth as they hugged before the cameras; Shivkumar, 64, also touched his senior's feet.

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Speaking to reporters, Siddaramaiah said that due to the lack of equal opportunities, there is inequality in society.“To get rid of this inequality, everyone should be given equal opportunity. For that, during my tenures as CM, we made attempts to bring in equality. Whatever we promised in the manifesto, we tried to fulfill them in a honest manner."

He pointed out that he was chief minister of Karnataka twice and was also the leader of the opposition twice. Misinformation campaigns had been launched against him, said the outgoing CM.“There were misinformation campaigns against me, including, and none other than the prime minister of the country saying our treasury will be empty and there won't be any money for welfare schemes. But after we launched the guarantee scheme, Karnataka is number one in per capita income and we are number two in GST collection.”

Recalling his background, he said he came from a village and never thought he would one day become an MLA, minster or chief minister.“I believe all caste, religion and communities should live as one,” he told the journalists.“I also believed that the wealth should be equally distributed.”

The Congress high command had suggested to Siddaramaiah that he resign as the chief minister of the state, letting Shivakumar take over. He was offered a national role in the party, besides a seat in the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian parliament. According to party sources, Siddaramaiah relented after he was told that top leaders including Rahul Gandhi wanted him to step down.

The Congress was also keen that the change in Karnataka should be without recourse to stiff fights, as happened in Rajasthan, where infighting led to the defeat of the party in the 2023 assembly elections.

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