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Karnataka Congress faces rebellion from within over Davangere South bypoll pick
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar back the Davanagere South bypoll candidate, Samarth Mallikarjun, amid local Muslim leaders' demand for a candidate from their community.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah (File photo)
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday expressed confidence that the Congress would win the Davanagere South Assembly seat in the upcoming bypoll, a rebellion within the party notwithstanding.
Bypolls will be held on April 9 in Davanagere South and Bagalkot—seats that became vacant after the demise of Congress MLAs Shamanur Shivashankarappa and H Y Meti, who represented them.
In Davanagere South, Congress faces rebellion from the Muslim community, which is unhappy over the choice of 27-year-old Samarth Mallikarjun as the party’s candidate. He is a third-generation politician from the Shivashankarappa family and the son of Mines and Geology Minister S S Mallikarjun and Davanagere MP Prabha Mallikarjun.
On Monday, Samarth filed his nomination for the second time, having also filed his papers on March 21, two days before the All India Congress Committee officially announced his candidature.
Several local Congress leaders protested against Samarth’s candidature in Davanagere on Sunday evening. A Congress leader from the region, Sadiq Pahilwan, filed his nomination as an independent.
Many Muslim leaders from the party, led by Housing Minister B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan, had lobbied for a candidate from their community, claiming that Shivashankarappa had assured them of this during campaigning for the 2023 Assembly polls.
Siddaramaiah acknowledged the differences and said the rebellion would be addressed.
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Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress president D K Shivakumar said the rebel candidate was close to Shivashankarappa. “All differences will be resolved. There is no confusion in the party. One person has filed nomination as a rebel. We are talking to him,” he said.
Congress attempted to present a united front as Samarth filed his nomination, accompanied by Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar and block Congress president Ayub.
Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar also accompanied Bagalkot candidate Umesh Meti, who filed his nomination during the day.
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