Siddaramaiah resigns as CLP leader after Cong poor show in Assembly bypolls

Bengaluru: Senior Congress leader and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday resigned as the Congress Legislature Party leader, taking moral responsibility for the party's poor show in the assembly bypolls.

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The Congress, which held 12 of the 15 seats where byelections were held on December five, won only two, in a huge set-back to the opposition party.

In a letter to Interim Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Siddaramaiah expressed his sincere regrets for not being able to give "satisfactory results" in the byelections.

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"I deem it necessary to step down as Leader of the CLP by taking moral responsibility", he wrote.

"As a CLP leader, there is a need to uphold the democratic principles. In the interest of the party, I have tendered my resignation as the CLP leader", Siddaramaiah told reporters.

The byelection was seen as much a litmus test for Siddaramaiah as it was for Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa.

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(PTI)