In BriefVictorian Premier Jacinta Allan has announced her resignation from the state's top job.Allan said Carroll would have her "congratulations and unqualified support" if he emerged as her replacement.Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has resigned, throwing her support behind the person expected to be her successor, Deputy Premier Ben Carroll.A caucus vote was set to take place at 10am on Tuesday morning, with Allan initially refusing to step down.But Allan announced ahead of the meeting that she would step down as premier, paving the way for Carroll to take over as leader just four months out from the November state election."After speaking with my colleagues overnight, I have made the difficult decision to step aside as leader of the Victorian state parliamentary Labor Party, and as premier of Victoria," Allan said at a press conference on Tuesday ahead of the caucus meeting."I will shortly chair a caucus meeting to elect a new leader," she said.News that makes senseYour trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox."Should Ben Carroll emerge as our next Labor leader and Labor premier, he will have my congratulations and unqualified support."Carroll, Victoria's deputy premier, was initially primed for a leadership challenge after a cross-factional delegation, including six ministers, told the premier she had lost majority support of the caucus.Allan initially refused to step down, with Carroll declaring he would challenge her for leadership. The caucus meeting was set to hold a spill motion for leadership.On Tuesday morning, Allan said she was making the decision to resign because it was the "right thing", but believes she "would have won".Carroll, from the party's smaller right faction, is set to become the state's 50th premier.Who is Ben Carroll?Along with being Victoria's deputy premier, Carroll is the state's minister for education, and has a 14-year-long parliamentary career.He was born and raised in Airport West, in Melbourne's north-west, and still lives there today with his wife and his daughter.His first job was at the local Kmart, where he first got involved with the shop assistants' union.He worked as a lawyer for the Victorian government and served as an adviser to former premier Steve Bracks, before entering parliament himself in 2012 when he won the seat of Niddrie at a by-election.He spent five years on the backbench before finally landing a ministry, promoted to cabinet in 2017 as industry and employment minister, later holding public transport and roads portfolios.He became deputy premier in September 2023 after briefly flagging his own leadership tilt when Daniel Andrews quit — a challenge he withdrew before being made deputy unopposed.As education minister, he's faced criticism over a 2024 bungle affecting 65 VCE exams that led to the sacking of the curriculum authority's board, and has been unable to land a teacher pay deal, triggering statewide strikes.Why is he running now?Just weeks ago, Carroll ruled out a challenge.Asked in June if he'd urge Allan to step aside, he said "no"."I can look you in the eye and say that, premier," he told Allan during the exchange. "I want to serve Jacinta Allan."I've got a young daughter at home, and I couldn't be more proud to make sure she grows up knowing that I supported Jacinta Allan to be a world-class premier and get re-elected in her own right."Announcing his bid for leadership this week, Carroll said his colleagues had told him the premier had lost caucus support and that he would be nominating for leadership."The decision is not easy, but the stakes at the upcoming election are simply too high," Carroll said in a statement."The prospect of a Liberal-One Nation government that will cut schools, health and front line services is simply too high a risk to ignore."Allan's resignation and Carroll's challenge come as Labor's primary vote slides in the polls ahead of November, with the government trailing the Coalition on a two-party-preferred basis.Support for Labor has been diminishing in the polls since the last election, with fresh Newspoll figures from The Australian indicating the party's primary vote is trailing the Victorian Coalition on a two-party-preferred basis 52 per cent to 48 per cent.More than 70 per cent of the 1,035 voters polled from 23 to 26 July said they were dissatisfied with Allan, with Liberal leader Jess Wilson preferred premier by a comfortable margin.A leadership contest would require caucus and rank-and-file Labor members to vote for their preferred leader, as the party vies for a historic fourth successive term in government.— With additional reporting by the Australian Associated Press.For the latest from SBS News, download our app and subscribe to our newsletter.