Karnataka water resources minister Ramesh Jarkiholi resigned from the cabinet on Wednesday, a day after being caught in a sex-for-job scandal.

Ramesh sent his resignation letter to chief minister B.S. Yediyurappa who promptly accepted it and forwarded it to the state governor.

The resignation was expected as the BJP was caught in an embarrassing position with the budget session of the state legislature set to begin on Thursday.

Ramesh, 60, landed in the controversy after intimate video clips of him with an unidentified jobseeker from north Karnataka were released to the media by social worker Dinesh Kallahalli on Tuesday.

Kallahalli had also lodged a police complaint claiming that the minister allegedly lured the family of the woman by promising her a job in the Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited.

Ramesh on Tuesday had told a Kannada channel that he had no idea about the video clips and called it fake. But with pressure mounting even within the BJP for his scalp, he sent his younger brother and BJP MLA Balachandra Jarkiholi to meet Yediyurappa seeking a CBI or CID probe into the video.

But, party sources said, the chief minister urged Balachandra to ask his brother to resign immediately and avoid further embarrassment ahead of the budget session.

In his brief letter in Kannada, Ramesh promised to prove his innocence.

“The allegations against me are far from truth. A probe should be ordered soon. I am tendering my resignation on moral grounds although I am sure of proving my innocence,” the letter said.

Ramesh, a former Congress lawmaker, was partly instrumental in the collapse of that party’s coalition government with the Janata Dal Secular in 2019. He led a rebellion that saw 17 coalition lawmakers resigning en masse and joining the BJP.

Most of the turncoats were eventually inducted into the cabinet as a reward for bringing BJP back to power. Ramesh was appointed minister in February 2020.

He is the eldest of the five Jarkiholi brothers, the others being state Congress working president Satish, BJP leaders Balachandra and Bhimashi, and Lakhan who is with the Congress.

The Opposition Congress came down heavily on Ramesh and the BJP over the scandal. Leader of the Opposition P.C. Siddaramiah demanded an investigation into the incident.

“The government should not just accept his resignation, but also file an FIR and investigate him,” he told reporters.

AICC spokesperson Brijesh Kalappa told reporters that his continuance in the ministry had become untenable after such a serious issue.

He said the victim ousted the video clips after Ramesh failed to keep his promise of a job.

“The videos were released when he failed to keep his promise,” he said, alluding to the development.

Kalappa also pointed out how Ramesh is heard speaking ill of Yediyurappa in one of the video clips. “He is heard saying Yediyurappa is corrupt in one of the videos. Imagine speaking badly of his own chief minister.”