Bengaluru, May 24 (IANS): Janata Dal (S) Karnataka state president C.M. Ibrahim resigned from his post on Wednesday following the defeat of the party in the assembly elections.

Announcing his decision to the media, Ibrahim stated that former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda has called a meeting of party leaders on Wednesday. "I took moral responsibility a day after the announcement of the results of the elections in Karnataka. Today I have submitted the resignation from my post," Ibrahim explained.

Ibrahim conveyed his wishes to the newly formed Congress government. When asked whether he could have been a minister today if he had not quit the Congress before the elections, he maintained that he won't take up posts which come without dignity. "I care about self respect," he said.

"They could have made U.T. Khader deputy chief minister. But now he can't even open his mouth," Ibrahim maintained. Khader was elected as the Speaker of the assembly on Wednesday.

Ibrahim had quit the Congress after developing differences with then Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in 2022.

The JD (S) had fielded 148 candidates for the assembly polls and hoped that it would play the role of kingmaker after the results. Former CM H.D. Kumaraswamy had declared after the elections that the national parties will have to come to his doorstep. But the Congress sailed through with a clear majority.

The JD (S) only managed to win 19 seats and it was defeated on its own turf. The Congress had managed to get the Vokkaliga vote by projecting D.K. Shivakumar as one of the candidates for the post of CM. Nikhil Kumaraswamy, son of H.D. Kumaraswamy, suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the Congress candidate in Ramnagar.