Deputy chief minister and state Congress chief DK Shivakumar on Tuesday said an internal survey conducted by the party showed more than 79% support for the Congress in the Davanagere South Assembly constituency ahead of the by-election.
“We had conducted the survey of voters belonging to backward classes, minorities, poor people in the constituency,” he said.
“They recalled the services of veteran Congress leader the late Shamanur Shivashankarappa during Covid-19 and have immense respect for him. People of the constituency were administered free vaccine against Covid-19 by Shamanur family then,” added Shiivakumar.
The deputy chief minister said the party does not depend on individuals for electoral success. “The party does not function by relying on an individual. The elections are held on the basis of the party ideologies. We are fighting the bypolls together by taking leaders of all communities into confidence,” he said.
The deputy chief minister added that leaders from the Muslim community were already in the constituency and that state housing minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan would join the campaign after completing his responsibilities in Kerala.
The by-election was necessitated by the death of sitting MLA Shamanur Shivashankarappa. His grandson, Samarth Mallikarjun, is the Congress candidate and is seeking to consolidate support across communities, including Muslim voters who number around 80,000 in an electorate of 232,000.
{{/usCountry}}The by-election was necessitated by the death of sitting MLA Shamanur Shivashankarappa. His grandson, Samarth Mallikarjun, is the Congress candidate and is seeking to consolidate support across communities, including Muslim voters who number around 80,000 in an electorate of 232,000.
{{/usCountry}}The contest has drawn 25 candidates, including 14 from the Muslim community. Congress leaders said multiple candidates from the same community could split votes.
State Congress working president Saleem Ahmed said the party was engaging with Muslim candidates to seek their support. He said they were being told that if Shamanur had been alive, he would have completed his term and the party fielded a family member for that reason.
Reports of religious leaders asking Muslim voters to back a community candidate have increased concerns within the Congress. KPCC legal cell organising secretary Anis Pasha said there may have been informal discussions but the party has a strategy to address the situation.
The Congress campaign has also been affected by internal differences.
Remarks by S S Mallikarjun, the district in-charge minister and father of the party’s candidate, suggesting the campaign might have been better off without Zameer Ahmed Khan’s involvement led to criticism from Khan’s supporters on social media. Party leaders said efforts were being made through senior leaders, including AICC general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala, to reach out to Muslim voters.
Former Union minister CM Ibrahim has campaigned for Independent candidate Khadar Adil Basha, adding to the multi-cornered nature of the contest.
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party released its manifesto for the constituency. Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka said the BJP aimed to develop Davanagere South by improving healthcare, education, drinking water, roads and other infrastructure. He urged voters to reject the Congress and support BJP candidate Srinivas Dasakariyappa, calling him a “son of the soil.”
Ashoka criticised the state government’s finances, alleging rising debt and mismanagement. He said the government had taken loans of ₹81,000 crore in 2023, ₹92,250 crore in 2024, ₹1.16 lakh crore in 2025 and ₹1.32 lakh crore this year.
He alleged that funds were being withheld to show fiscal discipline and said the state’s fiscal deficit had crossed 3%. He also accused the government of diverting funds meant for Dalit development and questioned allocations outside the state.