The Chief Minister of the Indian state of Karnataka, Dharam Singh, has resigned after 10 days of political upheaval in the state. The move paves the way for India's main opposition party, the BJP, to become part of a governing coalition in the state for the first time.
The political upheavals were triggered by a split in the Janata Dal (Secular) party, part of the current coalition.
Mr Singh, of the Congress party, gave his resignation to the state governor.
The BBC's Sunil Raman in the state capital, Bangalore, says the governor is expected to ask HD Kumaraswamy to form the next government.
It was Mr Kumaraswamy who led the split in the Janata Dal (Secular) Party.
Mr Singh and other members of the Congress party spent much of Friday trying to woo the defectors back into the governing coalition but failed.
Mr Kumaraswamy says the coalition of his defectors and the BJP party can muster 130 of the 224 legislators in the state assembly.
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