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According to Congress sources, the party high command is deeply upset over reports that certain leaders allegedly funded and supported an SDPI candidate in Davangere South bypoll
Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah. (PTI File)
A major internal rift has erupted within the Karnataka Congress, with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s political secretary Naseer Ahmed likely to face removal and senior Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan coming under intense scrutiny over alleged links to the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) during the Davangere South bypoll.
According to Congress sources, the party high command is deeply upset over reports that certain leaders within the state unit allegedly funded and supported an SDPI candidate in the Davangere South by-election, an act viewed as serious anti-party activity.
Late-night consultations reportedly took place on Saturday between the Chief Minister and the Congress high command, amid mounting pressure from the central leadership to initiate action against leaders accused of working against the party’s official candidate.
2 reports
Sources indicated that two separate reports — one prepared by intelligence agencies and another submitted by AICC secretary Abhishek Dutt — flagged the alleged involvement of Naseer Ahmed, Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan, and MLC Jabbar in anti-party activities. The reports reportedly detail instances ranging from propping up alternative candidates to alleged funding of SDPI candidate Afsar Kodlipete.
Party insiders said intelligence inputs have pointed to financial transactions allegedly linked to some of these leaders in support of the SDPI candidate in Davangere South. The Congress leadership is said to be particularly concerned that encouraging the SDPI could eventually create a long-term political challenge for the party.
Minorities must stand with Congress: Rizwan Arshad
Congress MLC Rizwan Arshad who was deputed by the party to handle the situation during Davangere South bypolls said, “Some people tried to divide Congress votes and worked to ensure BJP’s victory. They even sent their supporters to split votes. All this is known to the party, and I don’t need to spell it out. But their attempts did not succeed.”
“Some individuals may think in terms of ‘I’, but for us there is no ‘I’. Our real concern is the ideology of the BJP and Sangh Parivar. We must stand by the Constitution. Minorities must stand with the Congress party, which stands for the Constitution—otherwise, there will be no future for us,” said Arshad.
The controversy
The controversy is also rooted in candidate selection tensions ahead of the bypoll. Sources said three leaders had strongly pushed for a minority candidate — Sadiq Pailwan — in Davangere South. The situation reportedly escalated into internal dissent, forcing the Chief Minister to rely on second-line Muslim leaders such as Rizwan Arshad and Saleem Ahmed to calm tempers after senior minority leaders held closed-door consultations.
The high command is understood to be especially displeased that the dissent is alleged to have originated from leaders considered close to the Chief Minister.
Following disciplinary action against MLC Jabbar and with Naseer Ahmed likely to be removed from his post, attention is now turning to Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan.
Sources indicated that the Chief Minister is weighing the possibility of dropping Zameer from the Cabinet during an impending reshuffle, signalling that further action may be imminent as the party attempts to contain the fallout from the Davangere South bypoll controversy.
April 12, 2026, 12:41 IST
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