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Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot has accepted the resignation of chief minister Siddaramaiah, a day after the veteran Congress leader stepped down from the post amid an ongoing leadership transition in the state.

Siddaramaiah resigned on Thursday. (PTI)Gehlot has also dissolved the council of ministers headed by him with immediate effect. Siddaramaiah will continue to function as the CM until alternative arrangements are made, the notification added.

Siddaramaiah resigned on May 28, saying he was following the directions of the Congress leadership after days of speculation over a change in Karnataka’s top leadership. The resignation was initially handed over to officials at Raj Bhavan as Governor Gehlot was out of Bengaluru at the time.

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"They have asked me to go to Rajya Sabha. I have politely told them no, saying I want to remain in state politics and I am not interested in national politics,” Siddaramaiah told reporters after his resignation.

“I have two more years as an MLA. I will serve my people. I will continue in active politics,” he said.

Siddaramaiah’s exit sees the end of his second term as Karnataka chief minister, which began after the Congress returned to power in the 2023 Assembly elections.

On Thursday, during the breakfast meeting with key cabinet colleagues, Siddaramaiah named DK Shivakumar his successor, as per sources. There is no official confirmation regarding this.

The outgoing chief minister, in his farewell speech, said that the decision on Karnataka’s next CM would rest with the Congress leadership and the Congress Legislature Party (CLP). “Whoever the high command and CLP chooses will be the CM of the state,” he said

ALSO READ | Crisis manager to CM-designate: How DK Shivakumar rose to the helm in Karnataka

Siddaramaiah's deputy Shivakumar’s climb has been driven by organisational strength and the trust of the Congress high command.

“DK’s rise shows the party has rewarded his organisational and crisis-management skills,” a senior Congress leader said, adding that Shivakumar had also handled key assignments outside Karnataka. “His real test as a mass leader begins now,” the leader added.