Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday asked voters in Davanagere South to support the Congress in the April 9 by-election, terming the contest a choice between his government’s welfare measures and what he called misinformation by the BJP.
Campaigning across villages including Naganoor, Torchaghatta and Tetugugata, he called for unified votes in favor of the Congress candidate, Samarth Chamanoor, and warned against supporting independents. Such votes could indirectly benefit the BJP, he said.
“Congress is a party that protects the minority. No one should vote for independents. If minorities vote for independents, it will benefit the BJP. It is the responsibility of the minorities to win a pro-poor party. The BJP candidate should lose deposits,” he said.
At Naganoor, where he was received with ArtieSiddaramaiah also addressed criticism over state borrowing, saying the issue has already been answered in the legislature. He accused BJP leaders of raising allegations outside the House after remaining silent during discussions.
By showcasing his government’s welfare record, he rejected the labels used by critics. He said he was a “food-loving Ramaiah” and provided rice for the poor, not “Ramaiah power”.
The Prime Minister also cited the legacy of senior Congress leader Chamanur Shivashankarappa and linked it to the party’s campaign in the constituency. “Great leader Shamanur Shivashankarappa has dedicated the last two decades of his life to the development of this constituency. Even though he is not with us, his dream of development is before our eyes. By voting for the Congress candidate and joining hands in the progress of the constituency, voters here must accept the resolve to realize Shamanur Shivashankarappa’s dream,” he said.
In response to criticism over alleged dynastic politics, Siddaramaiah expanded his attack to include leaders from various parties. “What ethics does the BJP have that is spreading misinformation about family politics in Congress? Aren’t BS Yeddyurappa’s sons, PY Raghavendra and Bwai Vijayendra, involved in family politics? Who is MP Basavaraj Bommai? Aren’t JDS party leaders HD Deve Gowda, HD Kumaraswamy, HD Revanna and their wives and sons in politics?” he said.
Even as the Congress party intensified its campaign, the BJP increased its criticism of the state government’s record.
Addressing a press conference in Davangere, Karkala MLA V Sunil Kumar accused the government of failing to fulfill its welfare obligations, especially for backward communities. “The Congress government is using the Ahanda name for political gains. It has completely failed to provide true justice to the Ahanda community,” he said.
He pointed to what he described as the gap between the declared and released funds. “There is a huge gap between the grants announced by the government and those issued. In the period 2025-2026, the total grants amounted to $Only 716 Crores were announced $“Rs 413 crore has been released,” he said.
He added in the details of the allocations: “Who $Rs 155 crore announced for Ambedkar Development Corporation, $Rs 89 crore has been released. outside $51 Crore to Safai Karmachari Development Corporation, $Out of Rs 29.63 lakh crore, 29.63 lakh crore have been issued $93.5 Crore to Bhuvi Company, $68.81 Crores issued and out $Rs 220 crore for Adijambava Development Corporation only $93 crore has been released.
He pointed to similar inconsistencies at other companies. “outside $100 Crores, $73 Crore was issued to Thanda Development Corporation, out of $50 Crore for Nomad Development Corporation only $35 crores were released. He added: “This indicates the government’s failure.”
Regarding employment, Sunil Kumar questioned the government’s commitments. He said, “The Congress government announced the hiring of 56,000 jobs in the budget. But no money has been allocated. The government is trying to lay off 93,000 employees from abroad. This will lead to the collapse of the administrative system.”
