DAVANAGERE: Even before the announcement of the timetable for the by-elections in two constituencies that became vacant following the demise of Congress MLAs, political parties have begun preparing for the electoral contest. The Davanagere South Assembly constituency fell vacant after the passing of Congress veteran and former minister Dr. Shamanur Shivashankarappa, while the Bagalkot constituency became vacant due to the death of another former minister, H.Y. Meti.
The Congress is aiming to retain both constituencies, while the BJP is preparing to win them and send a message that the government has lost the confidence of the electorate. In view of the upcoming by-elections in Davanagere and Bagalkot, the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) has appointed observers and formed monitoring committees for both constituencies. KPCC President D.K. Shivakumar has constituted a monitoring committee of 16 leaders for each constituency.
KPCC Working President Manjunath Bhandari has been appointed convener for the Davanagere South Assembly constituency, while Vasanth Kumar has been named convener for the Bagalkot constituency. The Davanagere South seat became vacant following the death of former minister Shamanur Shivashankarappa, while the Bagalkot Assembly constituency fell vacant after the death of another former minister, H.S. Meti. With the by-elections approaching, the KPCC has formed monitoring committees to oversee election preparations in both constituencies.
For the Davanagere South by-election, the committee will be led by Working President Manjunath Bhandari, MLC, as convener. The members include ministers S.S. Mallikarjun, K.H. Muniyappa, B.Z. Zameerahmed Khan, Eshwar Khandre, Krishna Byre Gowda, Sharanaprakash Patil, Priyank Kharge, Lakshmi Hebbalkar, Santosh Lad and Madhu Bangarappa. Legislative Council Chief Whip Saleem Ahmed, MLA Tanveer Sait, former MLC V.R. Sudarshan and former ministers H.M. Revanna and H. Anjaneya are also part of the committee overseeing the election preparations in Davanagere.
For the Bagalkot constituency, KPCC Working President and MLC Vasanth Kumar will serve as convener. The committee members include ministers R.B. Thimmapur, Satish Jarkiholi, M.B. Patil, Shivanand Patil, Shivaraj Tangadagi, Sharanabasappa Darshanapur, Byrathi Suresh and Raheem Khan. MLA C.S. Nadagouda, Vijayananda Kashappanavar, MLCs F.H. Jakkappanavar, Basanagouda Badarli, Rajashekhar Patil and Somanna Bevinamarad are also members of the committee.
Meanwhile, tensions have surfaced between district in-charge minister S.S. Mallikarjun and housing minister B.Z. Zameer Ahmed. When asked by the media about Zameer Ahmed’s statement advocating a minority candidate for the Davanagere South ticket, Mallikarjun responded, “Who is Zameer Ahmed to comment on the Davanagere South constituency?” He said such matters should not be discussed in that manner and added that he would address candidate selection and election preparations on appropriate platforms while following the decisions taken by the party high command.