Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan will resign from the top job, but the path for her would-be successor Ben Carroll remains all but clear.Ms Allan made the announcement this morning, ahead of an expected spill motion she was tipped to lose.The meeting came after a whirlwind 24 hours, which saw Ms Allan write to Labor's state secretary to confirm she would contest any leadership ballot, and Mr Carroll say he had been approached to launch a challenge.Speaking at parliament this morning, the outgoing premier said she would give her unqualified support to Mr Carroll should he put his hand up."I am making this decision because it is the right thing by the Labor Party and the Victorian people," she said."I was prepared to put my record and my plan to a ballot of members as our rules allow."I believe I would have won But doing so this close to an election takes up valuable resources, including the most precious … one, time.While Mr Carroll was widely expected to win the leadership, a surprise nomination from Attorney-General Sonya Kilkenny has threatened to push the leadership ballot to a weeks-long vote taking in rank-and-file party members.Gabrielle Williams has been elected as interim party leader.Ms Allan has led Victoria since she replaced Daniel Andrews in 2023.Her term has been overshadowed by scandals that have followed her from the Andrews era, most notably allegations of corruption in the state's Big Build construction program.Ms Allan was the state's youngest-ever female MP when she was elected on the eve of her 26th birthday in 1999, and only the second woman to hold the top job.Speaking this morning, she encouraged more women to enter politics."Please don't look at what I have experienced this week and think, 'Stuff that