Labour Minister Santosh Lad weeps after breakfast meet with Siddaramaiah

At the meeting, Siddaramaiah informed his Cabinet colleagues about his decision to step down.

Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has informed his Cabinet colleagues about his decision to step down on Thursday, which left some of them tearful.

Siddaramaiah explained his decision to his Ministers over a breakfast meeting at his official residence.

“The CM told us about the talks he had with the Congress top brass. Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and others advised him to resign,” Law and Parliamentary Affairs H K Patil said. “Siddaramaiah has accepted their advice and will resign at 3 pm,” he said.

At the start of the breakfast meeting, Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar — his likely successor — hugged and displayed bonhomie. Shivakumar even touched Siddaramaiah’s feet to seek his blessings.

Labour Minister Santosh Lad, a Siddaramaiah loyalist, wept in front of news cameras after the breakfast meeting.

Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy said Siddaramaiah thanked his Cabinet colleagues.

Siddaramaiah is scheduled to head to Lok Bhavan to submit his resignation, leading to the dissolution of his Cabinet.