BENGALURU: The Congress leadership has overcome a crisis related to the selection of candidates for the April 9 bypolls, especially for the Davanagere South constituency, by ironing out the differences between Horticulture Minister SS Mallikarjun and a few Muslim leaders led by Housing Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan.
The party also sent out a message that there were no differences between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who favoured a Muslim candidate, and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who favoured the candidature of Samarth. Samarth is the son of Mallikarjun and Davanagere MP Prabha Mallikarjun. His grandfather Shamanuru Shivashankarappa’s death necessitated the bypolls.
The AICC general secretary and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala held a meeting with Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar, Mallikarjun and Zameer Ahmed Khan. The CM and the DCM sat side by side, sending a message that they had buried the hatchets.
Leaders from the Muslim community – legislators Rizwan Arshad, NA Haris and Naseer Ahmed and RS member Syed Nasir Hussain – as well as AICC Secretary Abhishek Dutt and Urban Development Minister Byrati Suresh were also present.
It was decided to let Samarth contest as the party’s candidate and please the Muslims with adequate representation in the government by way of appointment to boards and corporations and nomination as MLCs – in June, about 12 MLCs are retiring. Even in the Cabinet reshuffle, they are likely to get more berths, sources said.
The issue of Samarth jumping the gun to file the nomination papers much before the party’s decision was also discussed in the meeting.
Now it is to be seen whether the show of unity of Congress’ state leadership reflects on the ground as the Muslim leaders in Davanagere, especially the youths, are yet to come to terms with the decision, sources said.
The youths feel that once the constituency, which has a sizable Muslim population, was given to young Samarth, it will remain a stronghold of the Shivashankarappa family, putting an end to their political aspirations.
Meti’s son is for Bagalkot
It has also been decided to field former minister late HY Meti’s son Umesh from Bagalkot after Siddaramaiah took initiative to resolve the issue.