Uttar Pradesh Governor Suraj Bhan on Wednesday accepted the resignation of Chief Minister Ram Prakash Gupta, asking him to continue till his successor was sworn in.

After handing over his letter at 10 pm to Mr Bhan, a smiling Mr Gupta quipped, ''anand aa raha hai'' (i am enjoying myself).
He thanked the governor for extending cooperation to his government.

Bharatiya Janata Party General Secretary Narendra Modi, who was deputed as observer and state BJP Chief Kalraj Mishra accompanied Mr Gupta to the Raj Bhavan. Senior party leader and PWD, Irrigation and Higher Education Minister Om Prakash Singh was also present.
The resignation cleared the way for the installation of Union Surface Transport Minister Rajnath Singh as the 29th chief minister of the politically-crucial state of Uttar Pradesh. After putting in his papers, Mr Gupta said ''I had a desire to do many things for the state.''

In reply to a question, he said, “He had decided to step down because a few friends had advised him to take it easy.”

Bureau Report