Chhattisgarh governor Shekhar Dutt resigns

Chhattisgarh governor Shekhar Dutt has stepped down from his post, two days after Uttar Pradesh Governor BL Joshi submitted his papers following a request by the NDA government to some of them to demit office.

Chhattigarh governor Shekhar Dutt handed over his resignation to President Pranab Mukherjee amid speculations that other governors may follow suit.

The Chhattisgarh Rajbhawan confirming HT said that the governor personally met the President on Wednesday and submitted his resignation. "We are awaiting to know whether it has been accepted", the Rajbhawan official told.

Dutt, a 1969-batch MP cadre IAS officer became the fourth Governor of Chhattisgarh on January 23, 2010. His decision to quit has come as a surprise as he is known for his non-controversial image and clean tenure besides he is among those few governors having a non-political background.

Amid reports of the Centre’s pressure on UPA-appointed governors to quit, Dutt however told the reporters, “No one asked me to resign. I did it on my own”.

Political analysts see his decision as an apparent outcome of the reported suggestion from the Congress leadership to UPA-appointed governors to put in their papers if they are asked by the newly formed BJP-led NDA government.