Bengaluru: The Congress party retained the Davanagere South assembly seat but with a significantly reduced victory margin, as minority unrest and internal dissent eroded its support base in what has long been considered a stronghold of the Shamanur family.
Election Results 2026: Key Developments
Congress candidate Samarth Mallikarjun, grandson of the late Shamanur Shivashankarappa, trailed in eight of the 21 rounds of counting before ultimately securing a win by 5,708 votes. This marks a steep decline from the 27,888-vote margin recorded by his grandfather in the 2023 by-election. Shivashankarappa had comfortably held the seat even during the party's poor performance in the 2018 assembly elections. However, this time, the narrow margin and a split in minority votes have emerged as key concerns for the party.
Minority Vote Split Hurts Congress
The result has exposed visible cracks in Congress' minority support base in a constituency with an estimated 80,000 to 90,000 Muslim voters. As many as 14 Muslim candidates contested the election, leading to a significant division of votes. Collectively, these candidates polled 21,510 votes. The Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) candidate Afsar Kodlipete alone secured 18,975 votes, far exceeding the 6,000-odd votes the party secured in previous elections. Sources suggest the spike indicates possible backing from disgruntled Congress functionaries. The party has already initiated disciplinary action against some of them.
Internal Dissent and Sabotage
Senior party functionaries acknowledged the setback. Both Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President DK Shivakumar admitted the party struggled to handle minority anger, although Shivakumar insisted party workers remained united during the campaign. Party functionaries on the ground pointed to internal resentment and sabotage as contributing factors. However, they noted that women, especially from minority communities, solidly backed the party, which helped save the seat.
BJP's Candidate Selection Aids Congress
The Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) decision to field Srinivas Dasakariyappa, a candidate from the Scheduled Tribe (ST) community, also aided Congress by helping it consolidate Lingayat votes, partially offsetting the dip in Muslim support. Congress MLC Saleem Ahmed offered a more positive assessment, stating that the party overcame challenges through coordinated efforts. "We were able to quell unrest among minorities," he said. "We reached out to them and ensured they stayed with the party. The guarantee schemes helped ensure the popularity of the government was not hurt."
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