Sheila Dikshit tells reporters she has resigned as Kerala Governor.
has quit as Governor of Kerala, barely seven months after she took office.
"The news flashing on TV channels is correct. I have resigned," said Ms Dikshit, 76, at a press conference. She said she will not discuss her plans till her resignation is formally accepted by President Pranab Mukherjee.
Ms Dikshit, whose political career was pivoted on three consecutive terms as Chief Minister of Delhi, said she had sent her resignation letter yesterday. She had met with Home Minister Rajnath Singh and the President.
Ms Dikshit has, after some push-back, given the government what it has been looking for. Since the BJP came to power in May, it has made it clear that it wants to replace nearly a dozen governors who were appointed by the previous government with its own nominees.
With Ms Dikshit's resignation, six of those shortlisted have now chosen to step down. (
Also read: New Governors named for four states)
Not Aziz Qureshi, the Governor of Uttarakhand; he has taken the Centre to the Supreme Court, alleging that only the President of the country can demand his removal. (
Challenged in Court By a Governor, Centre Denies Trying to Sack Him)
Ms Dikshit will head back to Delhi as parties in the capital prep for a possible election. President's Rule was declared in the capital six months ago after Arvind Kejriwal of the Aam Aadmi Party quit as chief minister after a 49-day term. His minority government had been formed after the Congress, fronted by Ms Dikshit, was badly bruised in the December election, placing third after 15 years of running the capital.
The Congress and other opposition parties say that the government's mass ejection of governors is a blatant violation of a Supreme Court order from 2010 that says governors cannot be removed if the government at the Centre changes.
Last month, the government sacked Kamla Beniwal as Governor of Mizoram just a month after transferring her there from Gujarat, where she had shared a fractious relationship with Narendra Modi while he was Chief Minister. (
Also read: Behind Governor Kamla Beniwal's Sacking, A Three-Charge Dossier Sent To President)