By IANS
Lucknow : Mulayam Singh Yadav Friday resigned as Uttar Pradesh's chief minister and blamed the Election Commission for his party's defeat, saying it had been "running a parallel government" in the state.
Mulayam Singh handed over his resignation to Governor T.V. Rajeshawar at the Raj Bhavan after election results made it clear that the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) had won a majority in the 403-member assembly.
His Man Friday Amar Singh, who used to accompany him everywhere, was not present having gone "underground" in the national capital.
Talking to reporters outside Raj Bhavan, Mulayam Singh attacked the Congress party and rejoiced over its poor showing.
"The Congress is finished in this election," he said, adding that he respected the people's verdict.
"The Samajwadi Party was pitted against the Election Commission. It was running a parallel government in Uttar Pradesh," the outgoing chief minister said.
Claiming that the people of Uttar Pradesh did not understand his government's policies, he said: "I will be working for the welfare of the people."