Karnataka Chief Minister N Dharam Singh on Thursday said he will not resign after a faction of the Janata Dal-Secular withdrew support to the government on Wednesday.

H D Kumaraswamy, son of former prime minister H D Deve Gowda, heads the faction.

"I will not step down," Singh told reporters after seeing off Governor T N Chaturvedi who delivered his address to the joint session of the state legislature.

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Legislators of BJP and Kumaraswamy's faction boycotted the address and claimed that the government had lost its majority.

These parties have staked claim to form an alternative government.

Asked about the letter submitted by Kumaraswamy about withdrawal of support to the government, Singh said JD-S chief H D Deve Gowda had submitted a letter requesting the governor not to take cognisance of Kumaraswamy's letter.

Deve Gowda, meanwhile, has convened a conference of party workers on January 23.

Party leader Y S V Dutta said senior leaders will meet on Thursday evening and decide the agenda for the conference.

Gowda said he was saddened by the developments in the party and said he hoped that the 46 MLAs, who had left, will retrace their path. "We hope self-realisation dawns on them," he said.

The Congress central leadership also sought to downplay the development and said the meeting between the governor and the Kumaraswamy faction was not a big issue.

"No one can stop anyone from meeting [the governor.] There is nothing significant about meeting the governor. State leaders do meet the Governor," General Secretary Ambika Soni said.

Soni, who spoke to Chief Minister Dharam Singh over phone, said, "On the question of stability, there is no reason for any fear that the government is going."