Bengaluru: Veteran Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Thursday resigned as Karnataka Chief Minister, paving the way for Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar to assume leadership of the state government amid a major transition orchestrated by the Congress high command.

Siddaramaiah submitted his resignation at Lok Bhavan in Bengaluru. In the absence of Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, who is currently in his hometown Indore for personal reasons, the resignation letter was received by the Governor’s Special Secretary Prabhu Shankar.

“I have received the resignation, but it will be accepted by the Governor,” Prabhu Shankar told PTI.

Quelling speculation over a possible move to national politics, Siddaramaiah revealed that the Congress high command had offered him a Rajya Sabha seat, which he declined.

“I politely declined it as I have no interest in national politics,” he said.

Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, along with several cabinet colleagues, accompanied Siddaramaiah during the resignation process. Earlier in the day, Siddaramaiah held a breakfast meeting with ministers and party leaders at his residence, where he formally informed them of his decision to step down and announced Shivakumar as his successor in line with the party leadership’s directive.

Emotional scenes unfolded as photographs released by the Chief Minister’s Office showed Siddaramaiah embracing Shivakumar, while another image captured Shivakumar touching the outgoing Chief Minister’s feet and seeking his blessings.

Addressing the media after stepping down, Siddaramaiah reflected on his long political journey and expressed gratitude to the Congress leadership for giving him the opportunity to lead the state.

“I got the chance to serve all seven crore people of Karnataka for two terms as Chief Minister. I also got an opportunity to serve as Leader of Opposition twice,” he said.

He thanked senior Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Mallikarjuna Kharge for their support and acknowledged the backing of party workers and leaders since joining the Congress in 2006.

Defending his government’s welfare-driven governance model, Siddaramaiah said social inequality could only be addressed by ensuring equal opportunities for all sections of society.

“During my two terms, I focused on ensuring equality for all,” he said, adding that his government had fulfilled 158 out of the 165 promises made in the Congress manifesto.

Highlighting the implementation of the Congress government’s five guarantee schemes within the first year in office, Siddaramaiah said the programmes were rolled out despite criticism from opposition parties and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“Opposition parties said the guarantee schemes could not be implemented and would become a financial burden. False allegations were levelled against me saying the state’s borrowings had increased,” he said.

Rejecting criticism over the state’s finances, Siddaramaiah asserted that Karnataka’s fiscal position remained strong.

“State finances are sound. The state’s fiscal deficit is under 3%. It is 2.95%,” he said.