Bengaluru, March 22 (NationPress) In a significant move amidst ongoing internal discord, the Congress party has officially announced its candidates for the upcoming by-elections in two Assembly segments of Karnataka. The announcement came on Sunday, as party General Secretary and MP K.C. Venugopal revealed Umesh Meti and Samarth Mallikarjun as the nominees for the Bagalkot and Davanagere South constituencies, respectively.

Both of these constituencies were previously held by the Congress party. The Bagalkot seat was occupied by senior leader and former Minister H.Y. Meti, a loyal supporter of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, while Davanagere South was represented by the late Congress stalwart Shamanur Shivashankarappa.

The party has decided to nominate the son of late H.Y. Meti for Bagalkot and the grandson of Shamanur Shivashankarappa for Davanagere South. Due to the intense rivalry among potential candidates in both regions, the leadership took additional time to finalize their choices.

The official announcement highlighted that Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge approved the candidacy proposals.

In Bagalkot, H.Y. Meti's daughters and son were among the aspirants, alongside other prominent leaders. Meanwhile, in Davanagere South, Muslim leaders expressed strong wishes for a candidate from the minority community, given the significant presence of over 85,000 voters from that demographic.

In both constituencies, the party selected family members of the past representatives. Senior leaders, including Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala, convened in Bengaluru for an extensive meeting with local party members to address internal conflicts.

Sources indicated that choosing the candidate for Davanagere South was particularly complex, as Minister for Housing and Waqf Zameer Ahmad Khan had reportedly threatened to resign if a minority candidate was not selected.

However, Randeep Singh Surjewala cautioned Zameer Ahmad Khan against pressuring the leadership and proceeded with the decision to nominate Samarth Mallikarjun. Surjewala also expressed discontent regarding Samarth Mallikarjun's early nomination submission, which seemed to be a tactic to exert pressure.

Considering the late Shamanur Shivashankarappa’s influential role as President of the Akhila Bharata Veerashaiva Mahasabha and his contributions to the party in central Karnataka, the decision to field his grandson was made.

It remains uncertain how the party intends to appease local minority leaders, who have publicly stated that their support would hinge on the nomination of a candidate from their community, or they would work towards the Congress party's defeat.

The BJP had previously announced its candidates, who have already submitted their nominations for both constituencies.

Expelled BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal accused former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa and his son, state party president B.Y. Vijayendra, of having an internal agreement with the late Shamanur Shivashankarappa’s family to field a weaker candidate to facilitate Samarth Mallikarjun’s victory. Vijayendra dismissed these allegations as unfounded, asserting that the party carefully selected its candidates.

The voting for the two seats is scheduled for April 9.