Rift in Karnataka Congress: Allegations of Conspiracy Surface Among Muslim Leaders

A divide within the Karnataka Congress emerged with Muslim leaders accusing senior party members of plotting against the official candidate, Samarth Mallikarjun, in Davanagere South's bypolls. Despite these tensions, the party leaders remain hopeful about securing victory, emphasizing Congress's ideology and guarantee schemes.

A rift within the Karnataka Congress came to light on Friday, following bypolls in two Assembly constituencies. Muslim leaders from the party claimed a conspiracy by some senior leaders to defeat their official candidate in Davanagere South.

The leaders, including Chief Whip Saleem Ahmed and MLAs Rizwan Arshad and Yasir Ahmed Khan Pathan, conducted a press conference asserting that, despite efforts to portray a betrayal of Muslims, party candidate Samarth Mallikarjun is expected to prevail in the constituency.

Tensions within the party revolved around the demand for a Muslim candidate, with internal complaints directed at leaders like Housing Minister B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan. A social media campaign targeting alleged betrayals by the Congress added fuel to the discord, which arose amidst concerns of vote splitting benefiting the BJP.

(With inputs from agencies.)