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Senior Congress leaders have publicly acknowledged internal disagreements linked to candidate selection and campaign management in the Davanagere South bypoll
Deputy Chief Minister and KPCC President DK Shivakumar said the party leadership would verify the facts before making further comments. Image/News18
The Congress party in Karnataka is facing fresh internal turmoil following the conclusion of polling in the Davanagere South bypoll, with KPCC Minority Department Chairman Abdul Jabbar stepping down from his post and citing dissatisfaction among minority leaders and alleged attempts to sideline sections within the party.
In his resignation letter addressed to KPCC President and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, Jabbar said recent political developments during the bypoll forced him to take the decision.
“After careful consideration and with a heavy sense of sadness, I am formally writing this letter to resign from the position of Chairman, KPCC Minority Department. Recent political developments in Davanagere and across Karnataka during the by-elections have forced me to take this step,” Jabbar wrote.
He stated that several developments during the campaign had left minority leaders and workers deeply disappointed.
Jabbar also alleged that key decisions during the bypoll were taken without adequate consultation with the Minority Department leadership.
“There is no direct attempt from party leaders to approach or take inputs from the Minority Department and its leaders during the Davanagere by-election. Minority office bearers are distressed and disappointed by recent events, and I share the same feelings,” he wrote.
The resignation comes at a time when Congress high command has purportedly received negative reports about Jabbar and Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan’s role during bypoll campaigning and some of their followers working against the party in Davanagere South.
The resignation comes a day after senior Congress leaders, including MLA Rizwan Arshad and MLC Salim Ahmed, publicly acknowledged internal disagreements linked to candidate selection and campaign management in the Davanagere South bypoll.
Addressing reporters earlier, Salim Ahmed alleged that internal divisions had affected the party’s functioning.
“Some senior leaders within the party hatched a conspiracy to defeat Congress. Despite this, minority voters largely supported the Congress candidate,” he said.
Rizwan Arshad also admitted that the demand to field a minority candidate had created internal tensions.
“We had strongly pushed for a minority candidate, but we should have suggested multiple names instead of insisting on one. That created confusion and difficulties,” he said.
Reacting to the developments on Friday, Deputy Chief Minister and KPCC President DK Shivakumar said the party leadership would verify the facts before making further comments.
“I have received some reports, and I have been told that the Minority President has submitted his resignation. I will verify it and collect reports from local leaders before making any further statement,” Shivakumar said.
The internal discord is believed to have stemmed from disagreements over candidate selection for the Davanagere South bypoll, which followed the death of veteran Congress leader Shamanur Shivashankarappa. Several minority leaders had reportedly backed Abdul Jabbar’s name for consideration, but feedback from grassroots workers and leadership consultations led to the selection of another candidate.
Political observers say the resignation and sabotage allegations have exposed simmering factional tensions within the Congress, raising concerns about organisational unity even as the party awaits the results of the recently concluded bypolls.
April 11, 2026, 20:32 IST
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