3 months ago
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Even though the Election Commission has not yet officially announced bypolls to 2 Karnataka Legislative Assembly seats that are lying vacant, aggravated lobbying has begun wrong the ruling Congress for tickets successful the Davangere South and Bagalkot constituencies.
The byelections are necessitated pursuing the decease of seasoned Congress leaders Shamanur Shivashankarappa and H.V. Meti, who represented Davangere South and Bagalkot respectively.
In Davangere South, members of Shivashankarappa’s family, on with respective Muslim leaders, are vying for the Congress ticket. In Bagalkot, Meti’s children person emerged arsenic the frontrunners.
According to enactment sources, Shivashankarappa’s household is keen to tract 1 of its members to clasp its power successful the constituency. Minister for Mines and Geology S.S. Mallikarjun, Shivashankarappa’s son, is reportedly lobbying for the summons either for his son, Samarth, oregon his brother, S.S. Ganesh. Shivashankarappa, who passed distant connected December 14, 2025, had represented the constituency aggregate times. Meanwhile, Prabha Mallikarjun, woman of S.S. Mallikarjun, presently serves arsenic the Congress MP for Davanagere.
The Muslim assemblage accounts for astir 30% of the electorate successful Davangere South, making it a important ballot bank. Housing Minister B.Z. Zameer Ahmed is said to beryllium pushing for a campaigner from the number assemblage and is backing Congress MLC Abdul Jabbar. KPCC vice-president A.R.M. Hussain is besides an aspirant for the ticket.
Following Congress person Yasir Ahmed Khan’s triumph implicit BJP nominee Bharath Bommai successful the Shiggaon byelection successful November 2024, number leaders wrong the enactment person intensified their request for tickets successful constituencies with a sizeable Muslim population, enactment sources said.
Some Congress leaders, including Channagiri MLA Basavaraju V. Shivaganga, are besides reportedly supporting the thought of fielding a campaigner from the Muslim assemblage successful Davangere South.
Bagalkot
In Bagalkote, contention has emerged wrong Meti’s household implicit the enactment ticket. His sons, Mallikarjun and Umesh, are considered starring contenders, portion his daughters, Bayakka Meti, a erstwhile Zilla Panchayat member, and Mahadevi Meti, are besides aspiring to contest.
Most section Congress workers are said to beryllium favouring the thought of fielding 1 of Meti’s sons arsenic the party’s candidate. During caller visits by Congress ministers to the constituency, enactment workers reportedly expressed their enactment for fielding 1 of his sons. However, determination are indications of interior differences emerging wrong the household regarding the candidature. Sources, however, support that the household is apt to backmost whichever campaigner is yet chosen by the enactment precocious command.
