The Congress on Sunday finalized its candidates for the Assembly by-election after lengthy internal discussions amid rival claims from minority groups, with Umesh Mete being selected from Bagalkot and Samarth Mallikarjun from Davangere South.
The contests were necessitated by the deaths of incumbent legislators H. Y. Meitei and Chamanur Shivashankarappa, both influential figures in their respective areas. According to people familiar with the matter, the party chose to nominate members of bereaved families, a move that followed negotiations between factions and communities.
A senior leader described the decision as the result of consultations involving senior state leaders and minority representatives. “I, Prime Minister, Zameer Ahmed, Nasir Hussain, Saleem Ahmed, Hussain, Harris, Jabbar, and all the minority leaders, spoke to the AICC secretary and we reached a consensus and selected the candidates. It has been decided to hold the elections together and win the two constituencies,” he said.
The selection in Davangere South came after objections from sections of the Muslim community, which called for representation on the basis of voter strength. The issue was taken up in a meeting attended by AICC general secretary in-charge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and other leaders. Informed party leaders said assurances have been given on future nominations to the Legislative Council and Rajya Sabha to address these concerns.
Samarth Mallikarjun, son of Horticulture Minister SS Mallikarjun and MP Prabha Mallikarjun, who had filed his nomination earlier, is expected to re-fil his nomination again with an official mandate from the party, with senior leaders likely to be present.
In Bagalkot, Umesh Meite’s nomination came after an internal competition among family members, with the final decision emerging after the intervention of the state leadership.
Responding to questions related to minority demands, Congress leader, requests anonymity (verified)“There’s nothing wrong with them asking for tickets. They’re asking based on population,” he said. He added that the aspirants have indicated that they will step down if the party asks them to do so.
Defending the decision to appoint a Shivashankarappa, he said, “The service and development that Shivashankarappa has provided to Davangere is excellent. Davangere is better than what Bangalore looks like. I have seen it all with my own eyes. He provided drinking water and homes to the poor. He built and developed educational institutions. He has served for the last 40 years. The Chamanur family has stood by the Congress party from the beginning.”
On allegations that guarantees had previously been given to minority leaders, he said: “You may have expressed your dissatisfaction to him. He did not express it to us. That is why we made Djebar a member of the MLC three times… Alternative arrangements are often made.”
By-elections are seen as an early indicator of political trends ahead of the next election. Observers point out that neither constituency witnessed a clear wave of sympathy despite the recent death of the two incumbents, both of whom had long political careers and died of age-related reasons. (Has anyone in particular made this claim? Please add a citation to this claim.)
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has nominated Veerana Charantimath in Bagalkot, which was narrowly defeated in 2023, and Srinivas T Dasakaryappa in Davangere South, as it tries to consolidate support among Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes and Hindu voters.
The Janata Dal (Secular), which is allied with the BJP, is expected to jointly campaign, with Union Minister H D Coomaraswamy and Nikhil Coomaraswamy taking part in outreach efforts, according to party leaders.
Congressional leaders said they would rely on welfare measures provided by the state government, including $100 million in monthly financial assistance. $2000 for women heads of household, even as they acknowledge the possibility of anti-incumbency sentiment.
