Amid sporadic bursts of Diwali crackers across Kerala, state finance minister K.M. Mani said he was resigning from the Oommen Chandy government, but his colleague, water resources minister P.J. Joseph stayed put, refusing to quit along with his party chairman.

Mr Mani also said he would give the state’s ruling United Demo-cratic Front “unconditional support” even after his resignation.

Adding a bit of drama, government chief whip Thomas Unniyadan, a protégé of Mr Mani, also stepped down. Mr Mani’s resignation was handed to Mr Chandy by his nephew Roshy Augu-stine, MLA, and Mr Joseph M Puthussery.

The vigilance probe against Mr Mani was the outcome of corruption allegations following the closure of bar hotels and Opposition leader V.S. Achuthanandan’s formal complaint to state home minister Ramesh Chennithala, who forwarded it to vigilance director Vinson M. Paul.

The Joseph group leaders kept away from Mr Mani’s high-profile resignation announcement, exposing the widening rift in the nine-member Kerala Congress (M) legislature party.