DAVANAGERE: “Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has entrusted me with the task of ensuring the Congress candidate’s victory in Davanagere South. I will handle it successfully and ensure Samarth Shamanur Mallikarjun wins his first election comfortably,” said Housing minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan here on Sunday.
Soon after landing in the city, Zameer went straight to Horticulture Minister SS Mallikarjun’s house, hugged him and exchanged pleasantries. Samarth is Mallikarjun’s son. Zameer said the constituency is the Congress bastion and it will remain in future.
“Mallikarjun and I are close friends. There was some miscommunication, but now everything has been resolved and we are working together,” he told his supporters.
“I will come here on April 5 for campaigning and to sort out the small misunderstandings. I have been given a task to convince disgruntled workers. Our team is already working on that.
In the 2023 Assembly elections, four or five people, including Amanullah Khan, contested. But Shamanur Shivashankarappa won with a landslide. This time, too, Congress will win. Muslims know about BJP’s communalism and will not support that party,” he said.
“The media spread false news that there is a rift between Mallikarjun and I. But the reason for me staying away from Karnataka was totally different as AICC has assigned me the task of working in Kerala,” he said.
“I will campaign at Bagalkot on Sunday and on Monday. We will win both constituencies,” he said.Mallikarjun, who was present with Zameer, said the confusion caused by small issues has been resolved. He expressed confidence that Zameer will resolve minor grievances of Muslims.