BENGALURU: A special flight carrying outgoing CM Siddaramaiah was diverted to Jaipur on Thursday due to adverse weather conditions in Delhi, officials said.Several senior Congress leaders and Karnataka ministers were onboard the flight, including state in-charge AICC General Secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala, ministers KJ George and Byarthi Suresh, legal advisor AS Ponnanna, Legislative Council member Dr Yathindra Siddaramaiah, and AICC Secretary Abhishek Dutt. Siddaramaiah was on his way to Delhi to meet the party high command hours after resigning from his post.The flight was originally scheduled to land at IGI airport, but due to heavy rain in Delhi, it was diverted to Jaipur airport.Earlier in the day, Siddaramaiah addressed a packed press conference shortly after submitting his resignation to the governor’s Special Secretary at Lok Bhavan.Special Secretary Prabhu Shankar received the resignation in the absence of governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, who was out of the state. “I have tendered my resignation from the chief minister’s post,” the 77-year-old leader said, while expressing confidence that the governor would accept his resignation as per constitutional provisions.Siddaramaiah also said he had made it clear on several occasions that he would resign whenever directed by the party high command.“The high command directed me two days ago to step down, and accordingly, I submitted my resignation today. I got the opportunity to serve the people of Karnataka twice, for which I thank Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge,” he said.
