Both state Housing Minister Zamir Ahmed Khan and Congress leader Mohammad Siraj issued denials after an alleged audio clip featuring them sparked controversy on social media on Monday.
The clip contains an alleged discussion between the two leaders over voting during the April 9 by-election in Davanagere South constituency. Sadiq is heard discussing voting trends in the constituency. “I have visited many booths. The cook is everywhere, and the diamonds are less. Some people from Congress are distributing money. They say people know how to vote by rejecting money. I have given $1.5 lakh to my brother Sadiq. I asked him to make sure the votes go to SDPI.
The word “cook” appears to refer to the election symbol for lobbying power assigned to Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) candidate Afsar Kudlipit, while the word “diamond” refers to the symbol assigned to an independent candidate in the contest.
Another section allegedly shows Zamir discussing voter turnout. The minister was also allegedly heard saying: “This is a matter of prestige for me,” before asking for a poll assessment. Siraj was allegedly heard replying, “Cook. Just cook,” in an apparent reference to the pressure cooker symbol for an SDPI filter.
HT was unable to independently verify the clip, which lasts for approximately four minutes.
Both leaders strongly opposed registration. Zamir said in a statement on Monday: “The audio clip is completely fake. I have never made such statements. It was fabricated using artificial intelligence technology with the aim of creating confusion and damaging my political reputation.”
He added that a complaint in this regard will be submitted to the police cybercrime department.
Siraj also denied that this conversation took place. He said: “Zamir Ahmed did not talk to me in this way. I have nothing to do with the audio circulating on social media. The audio has been heavily edited and manipulated using technology. This is far from the truth.”
He added that the release of the clip seemed at a political time. “There was a conspiracy against us during the by-elections as well. There was an attempt to criminalize Muslim leaders. This continued even after I was expelled from the party. This audio recording was deliberately released against Zamir Ahmed before the government was formed,” he said.
He also rejected suggestions of contacting BJP candidate Srinivas Dasakaryappa during the by-election campaign. “On polling day, after casting my vote, I went home and slept. I didn’t talk to anyone. I want to know where the vote came from. I will get legal advice and move on,” he said.
The dispute came weeks after by-elections revealed divisions within Congress divisions in Davanagere South. A group of Muslim leaders had sought a Muslim candidate for the constituency, arguing that the community constituted a large segment of voters. The party eventually fielded Samarth Mallikarjun, the grandson of former MLA Chamanoor Shivashankarappa.
The contest was closely watched after discontent emerged within parts of the local party organisation. Following the elections, MLC Abdul Jabbar was suspended for alleged anti-party activities, while MLC Naseer Ahmed was removed from his post as political secretary to then Prime Minister Siddaramaiah. Speculation in political circles has also linked Zamir’s name to possible disciplinary measures.
Despite the unrest, Samarth Mallikarjun won the by-election by getting 69,578 votes. BJP candidate Srinivas Dasakaryappa got 63,870 votes and TDP candidate Afsar Kudlipetti got 18,975 votes, leading the Congress to victory by a margin of 5,708 votes.
Congress MLA Shamanoor Samarth called on the party leadership to examine the authenticity of the recording before coming to any conclusions.
