Gulbarga: Union Minister for Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation Ananth Kumar on July 12 said he has resigned from his ministerial post and his resignation has been accepted.

"I had submitted my resignation on July 9. I have come to know now that it has been accepted today," Ananth Kumar, who is the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Karnataka unit president, told reporters.

He said he had requested Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee to accept his resignation and he was happy that he had done so.

Ananth Kumar said, to him, serving the people and strengthening the party came first and power later.

"I am happy to have been relieved. I am grateful to the Prime Minister who has accepted the request," Ananth Kumar, who was appointed as the state BJP chief, said.

He said he could now devote full time to work for the party.

PTI