Bangalore: DV Sadananda Gowda resigned as Karnataka Chief Minister on Wednesday to pave the way for Jagadish Shettar. Gowda met Karnataka Governor HR Bhardwaj in Bangalore and put in his papers after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday decided to replace him with Shettar.
Gowda supporters staged protests in many areas of Bangalore as he reached the Raj Bhawan to submit his resignation. His supporters started gathering outside his residence 'Anugraha' in Bangalore from Wednesday morning, raising slogans, and even tried to stop him from leaving for Raj Bhawan.
Raising slogans in his favour, the supporters demanded that Gowda continue as the Chief Minister. Some of them also squatted on the road to block his car. Police used force to evict them. Gowda sought to pacify them and later left the residence, saying he would tender his resignation. His supporters also gathered outside Raj Bhavan, but the police intervened to clear the way for him.
Shettar, who will be sworn in as the Chief Minister on Thursday and will become the third person to occupy the post in the last one year after BS Yeddyurappa was forced to quit following his indictment by the Lokayukta in illegal mining cases, also met Bhardwaj and staked his claim to form the government.
Gowda later said that he had faith in the party's central leadership and that they would meet the demands of his supporters. Gowda also said his supporters should cooperate with him and should not be disappointed by his submitting resignation.
"I wish good luck to Chief-Minister-designate Jagadish Shettar and his new ministerial team and pray that God gives him strength to solve the problems afflicting the state government," Gowda said and added that he prayed to god for unity in the BJP.
The selection of Shettar, a close side of Yeddyurappa, was not easy with Gowda setting stiff conditions for quitting. But in the end the Vokkaliga-Lingayat caste equations held sway.
According to sources, there may be two deputy chief ministers in the Shettar Cabinet. Current BJP state president Eshwarappa and Gowda's aide R Ashok are likely to be named the deputy chief ministers by the party.
The decision to replace Gowda with Shettar was taken at a legislative party meeting on Tuesday that was attended by former BJP president Rajnath Singh, Ananth Kumar, Eshwarappa, Jagadish Shettar and Sadanand Gowda.
Following the meeting, Shettar thanked the party leaders for electing him as the Chief Minister. He further said, "The BJP legislative party has elected me as a leader. All the national leaders have approved...I was unanimously elected as the leader by all the MLAs."
"Our first priority is to tackle the situation of drought. Our popular schemes will continue. We are united now and will work for development," he said. Shettar also thanked Yeddyurappa and the people of Karnataka.
Earlier on Tuesday, the meeting was deferred as Gowda's camp set forth three conditions for his resignation from the post.
Nearly 46 MLAs and 8 MLCs pledged their support to the outgoing Chief Minister saying they would resign enmasse if their demands were not met.
The Gowda camp put forward the demands that Gowda should be made the state unit's President, that the Deputy CM of the state should be Gowda's confidante Gobind Kajrol and that the 30 members of the new Cabinet should be named.
Reportedly, the Gowda camp also demanded that 20 of the 30 Cabinet posts be given to them.
(With additional information from PTI)
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