Karnataka Congress divided over action against two minority leaders after Davanagere South bypolls

Leaders urged action against whoever is guilty, irrespective of position, suggesting accountability should span beyond individual figures to include those close to the decision-making process, such as the housing minister B. Z. Zameer Ahmed Khan, whose role during the bypoll has come under question.

A separate group of Muslim Congress leaders issued a joint statement defending the leadership’s decisions and calling for stricter accountability, arguing that internal divisions threaten the party more than disciplinary actions and accusing certain factions of undermining the official candidate and splitting the Muslim vote base to benefit others.

Muslim organisations wrote a letter to senior Congress leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Siddaramaiah, and DK Shivakumar, expressing dissatisfaction that Muslims’ support in 2023 led to a majority government but their concerns have since been ignored. They alleged that a Muslim aspirant was overlooked for the Davanagere South ticket and criticized selective enforcement of disciplinary rules.

The party described Naseer Ahmed’s removal as administrative, noting that the position of Political Secretary is discretionary and not a party-appointed role, a framing intended to separate it from disciplinary measures applied to Jabbar.

Public works minister Satish Jarkiholi publicly questioned the timing of disciplinary actions against minority leaders, saying the moves during an election period were inappropriate. He said he conveyed his concerns to KPCC president and deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar, who reportedly promised remedial action.

Bypolls were held in Davanagere South on April 9, 2026. The Congress announced disciplinary actions following the bypolls, suspending MLC K Abdul Jabbar and removing Naseer Ahmed as political secretary to the chief minister; both actions were linked to allegations of anti-party activity during these bypolls.