Bengaluru, May 29 -- Following Siddaramaiah's resignation as Karnataka Chief Minister, senior Congress leader Veerappa Moily on Friday described the development as a "smooth transition" and said the change in leadership had been planned when Siddaramaiah assumed office for a second term.

Speaking to ANI, Moily said Siddaramaiah had served both the party and the state effectively and expressed confidence that the Congress government would remain stable under the new leadership.

"It is a transition... Siddaramaiah served well as a Chief Minister and for 8 years, he served as our official leader... The change of guard after 2.5 years, was decided when he took over as a CM for the second time, but he was allowed to continue for a couple of ...