Samarth Shamanur Mallikarjun, son of Horticulture Minister SS Mallikarjun, files his nomination for the Davangere South Assembly constituency by-election in Davangere on Friday (March 20). | Photo credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
As the nomination process for the Bagalkot and Davangere South constituencies began, the BJP has taken the first step forward by announcing the party’s candidates, while the Congress is yet to finalize its candidates and seems to be under pressure now.
The bypolls were necessitated by the deaths of incumbent MLAs Hullappa Yamanappa Meti in Bagalkot and Shamanur Shivashankarappa in Davangere. Both served as ministers during Siddaramaiah’s previous tenure as chief minister.
Veerabhadrayya Charantimath files his nomination for the Bagalkot Assembly constituency by-election in Bagalkot on Friday (March 20). | Photo credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Srinivas T. Dasakariyappa | Photo credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Following the announcement of the bypolls, the state BJP announced Veerabhadrayya Charantimath as its candidate for Bagalkot and Srinivas T. Dasakariyappa for Davangere South. Both Mr Charantimath and Mr Srinivas filed their first set of nominations on Friday (March 20). They will file the next set of nomination papers on March 23 after taking out a grand procession with state BJP leaders.
However, the ruling Congress party is yet to finalize candidates in both the constituencies.
Quarrel within the party
Although it has been decided that the Meti family will get the ticket, the tussle between Mr Meti’s children, three of the four of whom are aspirants, is worrying the party. Mahadevi Meti, who had announced that she would file nomination as an independent candidate, relented after a meeting with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, a close friend of her father. Her siblings — elder sister Bayakka and brothers Mallikarjun and Umesh — met the chief minister in Bengaluru on March 18.
“While Mallikarjun, Umesh and Bayakka said they would follow the Chief Minister’s decision, Mahadevi reportedly demanded that the ticket be given to her or her brother Umesh. The Chief Minister assured them that a family member would get the ticket and advised them to stop fighting and support Congress leader Bagal’s one-vote party candidate.”
Meanwhile, party sources said the survey found that the party could not bank on the sympathy factor that might arise from Mr Meti’s death. A senior leader said that this will be one of the factors that Congress leaders will have to contend with.
Ticket to Muslims
In Davangere South too, the party appears to be weighing its options on the position of a Shamanur family member, even as pressure mounts from the demographically dominant Muslim community to elect a leader from within the community.
According to political observers, the demand for representation from the Muslim community in the constituency is nothing new and has been raised during previous elections as well. But this time, the demand for a Muslim candidate from Davangere South gained weight as Muslim organizations in various districts raised the issue through press conferences and also within the party circle. Abdul Jabbar, Congress MLC, has also expressed his intention to contest from Davangere South.
March 23 is the last date for submitting candidate lists for the elections to be held on April 9. The votes will be counted on May 4.
Grandson jumps the gun to file the nomination
Even ahead of the official announcement, Mines and Geology Minister SS Mallikarjun’s son (grandson of Shamanur Shivashankarappa), Samarth, on Friday filed his nomination papers for Davanagere South – both as an independent and as a potential Congress candidate – without a party ‘B’ form. It sent a clear signal that the family did not want to lose control of the constituency.
Published – 20 March 2026 20:52 IST
