Karnataka Governor accepts Siddaramaiah’s resignation, dissolves Council of Ministers

Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot on Friday formally accepted the resignation of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and dissolved the Council of Ministers headed by him paving the way for the formation of a new government in the stateThe development comes a day after Siddaramaiah submitted his resignation following directions from the Congress high command bringing an end to his latest tenure as chief ministerGovernor accepts resignation under Article 164According to an official notification issued by Raj Bhavan the Governor accepted Siddaramaiahs resignation under Article 1641 of the Constitution of IndialdquoIn exercise of the powers vested in me under Article 1641 of the Constitution of India I Thaawarchand Gehlot Governor of Karnataka hereby accept the resignation of Shri Siddaramaiah as Chief Minister of Karnataka Consequently the Council of Ministers headed by him stands dissolvedrdquo the notification statedThe Governor also issued a separate communication directing Siddaramaiah to continue in office as caretaker chief minister until alternative arrangements are madeThe communication clarified that no major executive decisions should be taken during the caretaker periodldquoI have accepted the resignation tendered by you with immediate effect Until alternative arrangements are made kindly continue as caretaker Chief Minister It is needless to state that no executive decisions shall be taken during this periodrdquo the Governor saidSiddaramaiah to continue as caretaker chief ministerThe notification further reiterated that Siddaramaiah would continue to discharge his responsibilities as chief minister until a successor is sworn in and a new government takes chargeRaj Bhavan also forwarded the official notification to the Karnataka government through the Chief Secretarys officeIn a letter addressed to Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh Special Secretary to the Governor R Prabhu Shankar informed the state administration that the Governor had accepted Siddaramaiahrsquos resignation and dissolved the Council of Ministers with immediate effectThe move formally ends the tenure of the Siddaramaiahled cabinet although the outgoing chief minister will continue in a caretaker capacity until the transition process is completedSiddaramaiah says he honoured party high commands decisionSiddaramaiah had submitted his resignation letter on Thursday at Lok Bhavan in BengaluruIn his brief letter he wrote ldquoI hereby tender my resignation as the Chief Minister of Karnataka Kindly accept itrdquoSpeaking to reporters after submitting his resignation Siddaramaiah said he was fulfilling a commitment he had repeatedly made regarding the authority of the Congress leadershipldquoI have always maintained both inside and outside the Assembly that whenever the high command directs me I will tender my resignation Two days ago the high command asked me to step down and keeping my word I have submitted my resignationrdquo he saidThe veteran Congress leader appeared emotional while addressing the media and expressed confidence that the Governor would formally complete the constitutional processCongress retains majority in AssemblyDespite the leadership change Siddaramaiah emphasised that the Congress government continues to enjoy a comfortable majority in the Karnataka AssemblyldquoOur party enjoys the support of 138 MLAs and others have also extended support to the government We continue to have a full majority The Governor must now provide an opportunity to the next Chief Minister to form the governmentrdquo he saidThe Congress Legislature Party is expected to elect a new leader who will then stake claim to form the governmentDeputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar is widely regarded as the frontrunner for the chief ministers post although the party leadership has not yet made any formal announcementGovernors absence had fuelled speculationThe political developments had gathered momentum after Governor Gehlot left Bengaluru late on Wednesday night triggering speculation about the timing of the transition processThe Governor travelled to Mumbai before proceeding to Indore in Madhya PradeshRaj Bhavan had stated that the visit was necessitated by a family medical emergencyHis absence from Bengaluru had briefly delayed the formal acceptance of Siddaramaiahrsquos resignation and added to the political uncertainty surrounding the leadership changeWith the resignation now formally accepted attention has shifted to the Congress high commands next move and the selection of Karnatakas new chief ministerWith inputs from IANS