Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress president DK Shivakumar on Tuesday said that an internal poll conducted by the party showed over 79% support for the Congress in Davanagere South Assembly constituency ahead of the by-polls.
“We conducted a survey of voters belonging to backward classes, minorities and poor people in the constituency,” he said.
“They remembered the services of veteran Congress leader late Chamanur Shivashankarappa during Covid-19 and have great respect for him. Residents of the constituency were given free Covid-19 vaccine by Chamanur’s family at that time,” Shivakumar added.
The Deputy Prime Minister said that the party does not depend on individuals to achieve electoral success. “The party does not work by relying on an individual. Elections are held on the basis of the party’s ideologies. We are fighting the by-elections together by gaining the trust of leaders of all sects,” he said.
The Deputy Chief Minister added that leaders of the Muslim community are already in the constituency and state Housing Minister PZ Zamir Ahmed Khan will join the campaign after completing his responsibilities in Kerala.
The by-election was necessitated by the death of MLA Chamanur Shivashankarappa. His grandson, Samarth Mallikarjun, is the Congress candidate and is seeking to consolidate support across communities, including Muslim voters who number about 80,000 in a constituency of 232,000.
The competition attracted 25 candidates, including 14 from the Muslim community. Congress leaders said multiple candidates from the same community could split the votes.
The working president of the state Congress, Salim Ahmed, said that the party is communicating with Muslim candidates to obtain their support. He said they were told that if Chamanoor had been alive, he would have completed his term and the party had sent a member of his family for that reason.
Reports that religious leaders are asking Muslim voters to support a community candidate have heightened concerns within Congress. Anis Pasha, organizing secretary of KPCC’s legal cell, said there may have been informal discussions but the party had a strategy to address the situation.
The congressional campaign was also affected by internal disputes.
Statements by SS Mallikarjun, the minister in-charge of the district and father of the party’s candidate, suggesting that the campaign would have fared better without the participation of Zamir Ahmed Khan, led to criticism from Khan’s supporters on social media. Party leaders said efforts are being made through senior leaders, including AICC general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala, to reach out to Muslim voters.
Former Union Minister CM Ibrahim campaigned for independent candidate Khader Adil Pasha, adding to the multi-party nature of the competition.
Meanwhile, the BJP released its manifesto for the constituency. Opposition leader R Ashoka said the BJP aims to develop south Davanagere by improving healthcare, education, drinking water, roads and other infrastructure. He urged voters to reject the Congress and support BJP candidate Srinivas Dasakaryappa, calling him a “son of the soil”.
Ashoka criticized the state government’s finances, alleging high debt and mismanagement. He said that the government obtained loans $81,000 Crores in 2023, $92,250 Crores in 2024, $1.16 lakh crore in 2025 and $1.32 lakh crore this year.
He alleged that the funds were withheld to show fiscal discipline and said the state’s fiscal deficit exceeded 3%. He also accused the government of diverting funds meant for Dalit development and questioned the allocations outside the state.
