Bengaluru: Senior Congress MLA and Chairperson of the Administrative Reforms Commission R V Deshpande on Wednesday said that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah told him he had decided to resign.
The former minister, who met Siddaramaiah at his residence, said that when some MLAs insisted he should not resign, the CM replied that he had given his word to the high command and would respect it.
According to sources, a number of ministers and legislators met Siddaramaiah at his residence and held discussions with him.
They insisted he should not resign and said they would discuss the matter with the party high command.
As per reports, some even suggested the matter be discussed at a legislature party meeting, but Siddaramaiah did not respond positively to any such suggestions.
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"I was with the CM. He said, 'I have decided to resign.' He has decided to resign. I did not question him about why he was resigning. We tried to persuade him, saying, 'Why don't you continue?'" Deshpande said.
Speaking to reporters, he said the CM may resign on Thursday or the day after.
"We said the decision was a surprise to us, but he said, 'No, I have decided to resign.' The MLAs who were there wanted him to continue, but he said he had given his word to the high command and would respect it. I told him it would be better if he continued, but he said he has committed to the high command and is therefore resigning," he added.
Stating that he asked Siddaramaiah why he was resigning, Deshpande said the CM responded that discussions had taken place in Delhi.
"I told him that he should continue, but he has to decide," the MLA said in response to a question.
Asked whether he would be a minister in the new cabinet under D K Shivakumar, the senior MLA said that if Shivakumar is chosen as CM, it is for him and the high command to decide.
Asked whether the CM was in a sad mood, he said, "No... why sad?"
Among those who met the CM on Wednesday were ministers H C Mahadevappa, Zameer Ahmed Khan, Eshwar Khandre, Santosh Lad and K J George, and MLAs Nanjegowda, B Nagendra, Umesh Meti, A S Ponnanna and Saleem Ahmed, among others.
Intense speculation is rife that Siddaramaiah will announce his resignation as CM in a couple of days, most likely on Thursday, to make way for his deputy D K Shivakumar.
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He has sought time from the governor and is hosting a breakfast meeting with his cabinet colleagues on Thursday at his official residence.
This follows reports that the Congress high command asked Siddaramaiah to make way for a leadership change in the state, offering him a central role in the party, including a Rajya Sabha seat.
Siddaramaiah is said to have not accepted the offer immediately.
