The government of the Indian-administered province of Jammu and Kashmir has collapsed.
Ghulam Nabi Azad, the chief minister, resigned on Monday after weeks of protests over the transfer of land to a Hindu shrine trust.
Thousands of Muslims in the province protested against the move, which they called an effort to alter the region's demographics.
On July 1, the government revoked the land-transfer order, which defused tensions in predominantly Muslim Kashmir's capital Srinagar but led to more violent protests in Jammu, a Hindu-majority area.
At least six people were killed and hundreds wounded in the protests.
The withdrawal of support from an alliance partner also played a role.
No confidence
On June 28, the land transfer controversy prompted the People's Democratic Party (PDP) to withdraw support for the government, reducing Azad's Congress-led government to a minority.
"I do not wish to put my friends in trouble whose heart is somewhere else and their party whip is somewhere else," Azad said in state assembly before tendering his resignation to the state governor.
The state, in India's northeast corner, will be administered by the governor until elections are held in four months.
Omar Abdullah, president of the opposition National Conference, said his party "will not stake a claim to form the government".
"We need to get into campaigning mode and predicting any post-poll alliance at this point of time will be premature," he said.
