After a humiliating defeat in the Karnataka bypolls for 15 seats in which BJP won 12 seats while Congress only 2, Siddaramaiah on Monday resigned as the leader of opposition in state Assembly. He has submitted his resignation to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi.

He also resigned as the Congress Legislative Party leader.

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Siddaramaiah said that as a leader of the legislative party, he needs to respect democracy.

“I express my sincere regret for not being able to give satisfactory results in the bye-elections despite my sincere efforts,” Siddaramaiah wrote in his resignation letter and further said that it was his moral responsibility to step down as the Congress Legislature Party Leader.

Former state Chief Minister was appointed Leader of the Opposition in the house in October this year despite stiff opposition from the old guard who considers him as an outsider within the party. The former CM had switched side from the JD(S).

Taking the responsibility for the defeat, Congress leader Dinesh Gundu Rao also resigned from the post of party’s Karnataka State President.

In a major victory for the Yediyurappa-led government in Karnataka, the BJP has won in 12 of the 15 seats it contested on December 5. The Congress won in 2 seats while an Independent won in 1 seat. The JD(S) did not win a single seat.

The BJP won Kagwad, Athani, Gokak, Yellapur, Hirekerur, Ranibennur, Vijayanagara, Chikkaballapur, KR Pura, Yeshvanthpur, Mahalakshmi Layout and Krishnarajapete.

While the Congress won Hunasur in Mysuru district and Shivajinagara in Bengaluru central.

Following the astounding victory, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa said: “I am happy that people have given a very good verdict. Now, without any problem, we can give a pro-people and a stable government.”

The Karnataka Congress earlier in the day accepted its defeat as the bypoll results showed a landslide victory for the BJP.

Karnataka Congress leader DK Shivakumar said his party has accepted the voters’ mandate.

“We have to agree with the mandate of the voters of these 15 constituencies. People have accepted the defectors. We have accepted defeat, I don’t think we have to be disheartened,” Shivakumar told reporters.

The BJP had fielded 11 Congress and 3 JD(S) defectors to wrest the seats from the opposition parties.

Bypolls were held for 15 of 17 assembly seats left vacant by MLAs who resigned in July, leading to the collapse of the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) (JD-S) coalition and the BJP’s takeover.