In a constituency where the grand old man of the Congress, Shamanur Shivashankarappa, has never lost since it was created after delimitation in 2008, for the first time the minorities kept the Congress leader on the hook in the by-election, which is scheduled to go to polls on April 9. | Photo credit: file photo
After campaigning extensively three days ago, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was in Davangere again on Sunday, trying to reach out to AHINDA voters who this time seem more divided on who should be their representative in the Davangere South Assembly constituency.
In a constituency where the grand old man of the Congress, Shamanur Shivashankarappa, has never lost since it was created after delimitation in 2008, the minorities kept the Congress leader on the hook for the first time in the by-election, which is scheduled to go to polls on April 9.
The Davangere South constituency, which was carved out of the former Davangere Assembly constituency in 2008, is not geographically compact. Although it is named as Davangere South because it includes a cluster of villages in Davangere South, the constituency has several urban wards in Davangere North, which are predominantly Muslim and working class.
Muslims have been demanding representation in the constituency and have been running as independents since 2008. This time, 13 of the total 25 candidates in the fray are Muslims.
However, except for the 2013 elections, when JD(S) candidate Syed Saifulla Karekatte finished second with over 26,000 votes, none of the Muslim candidates were able to reach five figures. But the voting patterns suggest that the victory, as well as the margin of victory, is determined by the Muslim vote, as seen in the last four elections.
Lingayats form another large section of voters in the constituency, followed by Kurubas, Marathas, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and others.
The main contenders
Among the 25 candidates in the fray, Srinivas T. Dasakariyappa of the BJP and Samarth Mallikarjun of the Congress are the main contenders.
While Mr. Dasakariyappa is the state vice-president of BJP’s ST Morcha, Mr. Samarth, a political newcomer, is the son of minister SS Mallikarjuna and the grandson of the late Shamanur Shivankarappa, whose death prompted the by-election.
Problems
Muslim representation, particularly the lack of it, was a topic of by-elections, particularly among younger Musim voters, which ultimately resulted in a revolt by Congress leader Sadiq Pahilwan, who subsequently “withdrew” the contest.
Another point of discussion is the election of a candidate for Congress, whose father is a minister and whose mother is a member of parliament.
While members of the Shamanur family make big claims about the development they are initiating, inaccessibility to representation and lack of development in Davangere South compared to Davangere North are two other issues that their opponents point to.
Although Mr. Pahilwan has “withdrawn” from the contest, the Congress seems to be worried about at least three candidates out of the total 13 Muslim candidates who could win the Congress vote share. So they are trying to woo voters of other communities, especially Lingayats and Kurubas.
On the other hand, the BJP is trying to consolidate the votes of SCs and STs and others along with Lingayat and Maratha votes through community leaders.
Vinaykumar GB, a young businessman who contested as an independent after being denied entry to the Congress in the Lok Sabha elections, is now soliciting votes for the BJP through ‘padayatras’ from his ‘Swabhimani Balag’.
As the election campaign draws to a close and the Congress has made another attempt to appease Muslim voters through Housing Minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan, the outcome seems to depend on the final decision of the minorities.
Published – 6 Apr 2026 0:55 AM IST
