Published Apr 23, 2026 | 7:00 AM ⚊ Updated Apr 23, 2026 | 7:00 AM
Naseer Ahmed, K Abdul Jabbar, and BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan.
Synopsis: The Davanagere South bypoll has sparked a controversy within the Congress after it initiated action against two of its MLCs belonging to the Muslim community. The action was initiated on charges that sought support for the SDPI candidate. Community leaders questioned the Congress for selectively acting against Muslim leaders, while others are spared.
Hectic parleys are on to smoothen ruffled feathers in Congress in Karnataka after the party took disciplinary action against two MLCs from a minority community after the Davanagere South by-election.
While K Abdul Jabbar was suspended from the party, the Congress removed Naseer Ahmed as the political secretary to the chief minister.
The duo, along with the Minister for Housing, BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan, were named in an internal report prepared by AICC Secretary and co-in-charge Abhishek Dutt. They were accused of backing the SDPI candidate in the 9 April bypoll.
The action against the MLCs left the Muslim community fuming. The community has already been upset with the party for not fielding a Muslim candidate in the by-election.
The backlash that followed the action against the MLCs might force senior leaders, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, and Rahul Gandhi, to review the party’s decision.
Public Works Department Minister Satish Jarkiholi, a close aide of the chief minister, has been leading efforts to defuse the situation.
Jarkiholi talked to Deputy Chief Minister and KPCC President DK Shivakumar. “I told him that keeping minority leaders away from the party or pushing them aside during elections or organisational exercises is not appropriate. He acknowledged the lapses and said the shortcomings would be corrected in the coming days,” he told reporters.
Related: How Davanagere bypoll triggered a crisis in Congress
A section of Muslim religious leaders has questioned discriminatory actions against the community leaders, while others, who had supported rival candidates, were spared.
“When Shamanur Shivashankarappa openly campaigned for BS Yeddyurappa’s son BY Raghavendra in Shivamogga during the Lok Sabha election in 2024, no action was taken against him. No show cause notice was issued to him,” Mufti Iftekhar Ahmed Qasimi, President of the Jamiat Ulama, Karnataka, told a news conference a week ago.
He alleged that the Congress party acted against Muslim leaders only on the basis of doubt.
In 2024, Shivashankarappa had appealed the people of Shivamogga to elect BJP’s Raghavendra in the Lok Sabha elections, considering his focus on development works.
“It would not be wrong to say that Raghavendra gave attention to all the work that needed to be done for the constituency and got it executed, even if they were beyond his abilities. Anyhow, within two months, there would be parliamentary elections. The BJP would definitely field him again. It would be your responsibility to get him elected, considering the development work,” he had said.
Despite the open and public backing of a BJP candidate, the Congress did not act against him.
Also Read: Karnataka Congress hit by fresh internal crisis
Several Congress leaders, meanwhile, expressed reservations about the “hasty” disciplinary action.
Senior Congress leader BK Hariprasad said the state unit should follow proper procedure before initiating action against anyone.
Referring to the state Congress disciplinary committee headed by former Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman K Rahman Khan, Hariprasad said that anti-party activities-related matters had to be referred to the committee. He said that the Karnataka unit should have “followed this process.”
In previous suspension cases, show-cause notices were issued to leaders before acting. Early this year, Karnataka Congress issued a show-cause notice to party leader Rajiv Gowda, seeking explanation following allegations of verbal abuse against Chikkaballapur Municipal Commissioner Amrutha Gowda.
However, after failing to respond to the notice, and a subsequent FIR registered against him, the party decided to suspend him. No such show-cause notices were issued to the Muslim MLCs.
Amidst criticism, Shivakumar defended the disciplinary action, reiterating that it was done on the directions of the high command.
“There are no personal matters here. The party has its own norms and conventions. Without Delhi leadership saying something or giving direction regarding MLA and MLC matters, we cannot act on our own. Some things have to be done as per guidance. Some may complain about me — even that is fine,” he said, adding that they have to work within the discipline of the party.
Political analysts argued that the episode was a missed opportunity for Shivakumar.
“He should have used this opportunity to unify, but failed as tried to keep the party above Muslim loyalty,” analyst Harish Ramaswamy said.
However, other analysts noted that Shivakumar was merely acting at the behest of the high command by implementing its orders.
“Most Muslim leaders against whom action has been taken are close to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who is better placed to intervene,” political commentator Gautham Machaiah told South First.
Also Read: Dynastic politics vs Muslim representation
Political commentators cautioned a party’s voting blocs can move away.
“The Congress appears to be working on the assumption that Muslim voters have nowhere else to go — that the BJP is not an option and the JD(S), now aligned with it, is equally unviable. That may be a dangerous miscalculation,” Machaiah said.
If a section of minority voters consolidates behind candidates such as those from the SDPI in the future, it may not just dent margins but also split enough votes to benefit the opposition, he added.
In coastal Karnataka, particularly in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi, Congress has faced a steady erosion of its minority vote base, with reports noting that the SDPI has been “gradually eating into” this support.
Analysts have linked the party’s cautious positioning and limited minority representation to the rise of alternative platforms.
Past episodes have also shaped perceptions. During the 2022 protests against restrictions on hijab in Karnataka, U T Khader, the then Deputy leader of the Opposition lashed out at the pro-hijab protesters, asking them to visit Pakistan, or Saudi Arabia to “realise India’s beauty and culture” and advised them not to take the “liberty” they enjoy in the country for granted.
While the party had initially remained cautious on taking a stand on the issue, the Siddaramaiah-led government announced in late 2023 that it had directed the withdrawal of the ban order. However, in 2025, School Education and Literacy Minister Madhu Bangarappa said that the state government had not decided on the issue as the case was before the Supreme Court.
Although the SDPI hasn’t tasted success in state Assembly elections, it won six seats in local body polls in 2021.
Analysts warned that unless the Congress built bridges with its Muslim leaders, there could be a possibility of them unofficially supporting the SDPI, as they did in Davanagere, because they have nowhere else to go.
“Although the SDPI may not be able to win seats on its own initially, it will divide the ‘secular votes’ to the detriment of the Congress,” Machaiah said.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
