Published Apr 01, 2026 | 7:18 PM ⚊ Updated Apr 01, 2026 | 7:18 PM
Zameer Ahmed Khan campaigning in Kerala. Credit: X/@BZZameerAhmedK
Synopsis: Campaigning has picked up in Karnataka’s Bagalkot and Davangere South ahead of the 9 April bypolls, with senior Congress leaders taking the lead on the ground. However, Housing Minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan’s absence–campaigning in Kerala instead–has drawn attention amid unease within the party over its candidate choice in Davangere South.
Campaigning has picked up pace in Karnataka’s Bagalkot and Davangere South assembly constituencies ahead of the 9 April bypolls, with the Congress rolling out its top leadership on the ground.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, and other ministers such as RB Thimmapur, Byrathi Suresh and Shivanand Patil have been actively leading the charge, alongside AICC general secretary in charge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala.
A notable absence, however, is that of Housing Minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan.
Khan has been deputed to campaign in neighbouring Kerala, with Shivakumar describing him as a “star campaigner” for the party there. His absence from Davangere, though, comes at a time when the Congress is dealing with some internal unease over its choice of candidate in the constituency.
The party has fielded Samarth Mallikarjun, grandson of veteran leader Shamanur Shivashankarappa, for the Davangere South seat – one that Shivashankarappa has held since 2013.
Samarth’s nomination filing, even before the party’s formal announcement, added to the perception that the decision had largely been settled in advance.
The move has not gone down well with sections of the Muslim community, which has been seeking greater representation in a constituency where it forms a sizeable part of the electorate. Overall, 22 Muslim candidates had filed their nomination papers in Davangere South.
Some Muslim Congress leaders told South First that Shivashankarappa had, during the 2023 Assembly elections, indicated that a minority candidate would be considered in the next round.
Against this backdrop, Khan’s absence has drawn attention. As a member of the Davangere South bypoll in-charge committee, he is learnt to have been among those who strongly pushed for a Muslim candidate.
Even as senior Congress leaders publicly dismissed reports of any internal rift, signs of unease surfaced within the party.
Mohammad Sadiq Pailwan, a party leader, and an aspirant for the ticket, filed his nomination without the party’s official “B” form last week. He would have entered the electoral fray as a rebel.
Soon after, a delegation led by party leaders Rizwan Arshad and Saleem Ahmed rushed to Davangere to persuade him to withdraw.
They were met with ‘go back’ slogans from Pailwan’s supporters. A day later, the party released photographs of Pailwan meeting Siddaramaiah, signalling a truce. He subsequently withdrew his nomination.
Addressing the media in the presence of Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar and Surjewala, Pailwan struck a conciliatory note, describing the Congress as a “family” and stating that senior leaders had reached out to resolve differences. He added that minorities and other communities would “work shoulder to shoulder” to ensure a decisive victory for the party.
However, the mood on the ground may not be entirely settled. Congress leader Tanveer Sait had told South First that there is resentment among the community at the grassroots level when Mallikarjun’s nomination was announced.
“We have asked community leaders to convince them and ensure that the party candidate is victorious,” he said.
The Congress, however, appears conscious of the potential fallout of alienating the minority community. Shivakumar, in a bid to assuage these concerns, later announced that party would give representation to the Muslim community in polls to the Karnataka Legislative Council and appoint members as heads of corporations. He had said it was being done to “bring justice.”
Seeking to downplay concerns about Khan not campaigning in Davangere, Shivakumar on Tuesday asserted that the party “does not run on Shivakumar or Siddaramaiah or Zameer.”
“The party runs on ideology and workers,” he said, when being asked whether Khan was unhappy about being sent to Kerala.
