While the Congress prepares for DK Shivakumar's swearing in ceremony in Karnataka and holds discussions over his cabinet, the party was left to deal with a fresh controversy after an audio clip surfaced in which Minister B Zameer Ahmed Khan could be purportedly heard backing the rival candidate for the byelections in Davanagere South assembly constituency.
Khan is considered to be a loyalist of outgoing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, but he reportedly unhappy over Congress' decision of not fielding a Muslim candidate for the by-poll, which was necessitated after senior leader Shamanur Shivashankarappa passed away. Left disappointed, Khan allegedly backed Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) candidate Afsar Kodlipete.
According to the alleged audio clip, Khan could be heard holding a telephonic conversation with Karnataka Minorities Development Corporation (KMDC) director Mohammed Siraj during the polling on April 9. Khan allegedly told Siraj that the Congress candidate, Samarth Shamanur Mallikarjuna, should lose the elections.
However, Khan's alleged effort did not work, as Mallikarjuna won the byelections.
Congress in shock by Khan's betrayal
This controversy has rocked the state unit of Congress, and the party is holding discussions over Khan's alleged betrayal, sources have said. Notably, Khan is seeking a ministerial berth for himself in the Shivakumar's government. But as of now, neither the party or Khan have issued an official statement regarding this incident.
Meanwhile, the audio clip has also gone viral on social media. However, India TV Digital cannot independently verify the veracity of the audio.
Coming to the Davanagere South byelections, Mallikarjuna received 69,478 votes to register a victory. He defeated Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Shrinivasa T Dasakariyappa, who secured 63,799 votes. SDPI candidate Afsar Kodlipete with a distant third with 18,971 votes, according to the Election Commission of India (ECI).
Talking about Shivakumar, he will be sworn in as the chief minister on June 3. Alongside him, nine leaders are expected to take oath. The rest of the ministers will take oath later on June 18, sources have told India TV. Karnataka can have a maximum of 34 ministers, including the chief minister.
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