Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa announces his resignation

Ending months of speculation, Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa announced his decision of stepping down from the CM post. “It has been an honour to have served the state for the past two years. I have decided to resign as the Chief Minister of Karnataka. I am humbled and sincerely thank the people of the state for giving me the opportunity to serve them,” BS Yediyurappa said in a tweet.

Yediyurappa was speaking at a programme that marked the celebration of two years of the BJP government in the state. “I have decided to resign,” a news agency quoted the Karnataka chief minister as saying. “I will meet the Governor after lunch.” The towering Lingayat leader had on Sunday announced that he would take the decision on his future as Karnataka CM on July 26 when his government completed two years in the state. Karnataka was rife with rumours earlier regarding the resignation of four-time chief minister BS Yediyurappa, who held a strong support base from the Lingayat community. The 77-year-old has already been dropping enough hints that he was on his way out, though the politicians whose names are being speculated to take his stead have dismissed any such possibility and attributed such speculations to mere political rumours.

Amid speculation about leadership change in Karnataka and the exit of Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, the names of several leaders have been doing the rounds for the key post.