Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalaithaa resigns

Chennai, May 11: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa today resigned following her party's defeat in the May eight Assembly elections.

Ms Jayalalithaa sent in her resignation to Governor Surjit Singh Barnala this evening through her Cabinet Colleague D Jayakumar.

''Yes. The resignation letter has been received,'' Raj Bhavan sources told sources.

Ms Jayalalithaa, who returned to her Poes Garden residence in the city this afternoon, after a brief sojourn at her farm house at Siruthavoor, on the city outskirts, sent the resignation letter hours after the election results were out. Though there were initial reports that she would personally hand over the resignation letter to the Governor, the AIADMK Supremo, however, chose to send the letter through an emissary.

Accepting the people's mandate which gave an emphatic victory to the DMK-led Democratic Progressive Alliance, Ms Jayalalithaa said in a statement that she was demitting office without any regret.

''I have done my best to the people of Tamil Nadu and worked hard to the limits of my capacity as Chief Minister for the progress and growth of the state,'' she said.

She also thanked all voters who had cast their ballot for the AIADMK and alliance partners.

UNI