The Congress Party faces an unusual test of its internal cohesion in the South Davanagere Assembly by-election, where discontent among Muslim leaders and a surge in rebel candidates have raised the prospect of splitting the vote in a constituency that has long been the party’s core support base.
The reason behind the agitation was the party’s decision to nominate Samarth Mallikarjun, a family member of late MLA Chamanoor Shivashankarappa, instead of a Muslim candidate. This choice has alarmed sections of the community, which has continuously sought representation since the division of the constituency in 2008, and remains an important electoral bloc, with nearly 80,000 voters in a constituency of 2.32 lakh voters.
As the April 9 election approached, the congressional leadership focused on containing the fallout. Senior leaders are working to persuade more than a dozen independent Muslim candidates to withdraw from the competition and to consolidate support behind the party’s nominee, while trying to reassure voters that the Muslim community has not been marginalized.
These tensions also revealed divisions within the party leadership. BZ Minister Zamir Ahmed Khan, who supported MLC K Jabbar Khan for the ticket, has stayed away from campaigning in Davanagere and is currently in Kerala. A remark by Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress president DK Shivakumar that the party “does not work on an individual and the elections were fought on the basis of ideologies” is said to have prompted efforts to bring him into the campaign after April 5.
The tensions come in the wake of a meeting held by AICC general secretary in-charge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on March 20, where the Muslim leaders pressed their demand for the ticket, citing their numerical strength. Instead, those present – including Zameer Ahmed Khan, Rahim Khan, Saleem Ahmed, Rizwan Arshad, Naseer Ahmed, Tanveer Saeed and N.A. Harris – Ensure that independent candidates withdraw and support Samarth Mallikarjun. His father, SS Mallikarjun, is a minister in the state government, and his mother, Prabha Mallikarjun, represents the Davanagere Lok Sabha constituency.
A congressional staffer familiar with the situation said the incident highlighted the complexities of managing Islamic leadership within the party. “When the party expected Khan to allay anxiety among Muslims over not getting the ticket, he got angry and campaigned in Kerala. Khan is the party’s problem solver on minority issues, but his reported differences with Mallikarjun did not go down well with the Congress leadership,” he said.
Efforts to contain the rebellion extended to local leaders. Party leaders Rizwan Arshad and Salim Ahmed have approached Sadiq Pelawan, who has submitted his nomination papers as a rebel candidate, to withdraw. Another rebel, Subhan Sab, was expelled for making derogatory remarks against senior Congress leaders.
In an interview with a local television channel, Salim Ahmed pointed to the challenges of coordination within the party. “Only Arshad and I attended the meeting. Khan remained isolated from the outside world by switching off his mobile phone. Naseer Ahmed apologized, saying he was busy. I will reveal after the bypoll who they all planned to include in Bailwan, why they did not ask him to withdraw and why some leaders did not campaign in the constituency,” he said.
Rizwan Arshad said that the leadership justified its decision by referring to continuity. “We were told that the bypoll period is another two years, which Chamanur Shivashankarappa would have completed if he were alive. In the next elections, if the Muslim community proposes a good candidate, he will be considered. I agree that Muslims are upset about the ticket being rejected, but not to the extent that they will defeat the Congress and help the BJP,” he said.
The Congress has also sought to signal its commitment to the constituency by a $Allocating Rs 100 lakh crore for infrastructure development in the state budget 2026-27.
The BJP sought to capitalize on the divisions. Opposition leader R Ashoka urged Muslim voters to defeat the Congress candidate, arguing that his victory could deprive the community of the opportunity to contest the seat for decades. The BJP has nominated Srinivas T Dasakaryappa, while state president P Vijayendra mocked the Congress, saying it now has to “convince” Muslims to support him. The party also criticized the state budget $Allocating 4,500 crores for minorities, he described it as a “halal and Pakistani budget”.
Despite the current unrest, the Congress has maintained a strong hold on South Davanagere since 2008, with Chamanur Shivashankarappa notching repeated victories by large margins. However, the demand for a Muslim candidate has continued over the years.
Party leaders say the situation is beginning to stabilize after the initial unrest, although concerns remain about the remaining opposition. “We have succeeded in making the majority of independent Muslim candidates fielded by a disgruntled puppet leader retire. The spoiler could be the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) candidate, Afsar Kudlipet, who is trying to exploit the sentiments of the community,” a Congress functionary said.
Kodlipet, who presented himself as an alternative, criticized the Congress and Shivashankarappa’s family. “The railway track separates the South Davanagere constituency from the North Davanagere constituency represented by Mallikarjun. All the developments, be it educational institutions or employment opportunities, are in North Davanagere. Why not in South Davanagere?” He said.
He also questioned the family’s record on minority issues, arguing that their political success depended on Muslim support without providing corresponding benefits to society.
