Davangere South bypoll | 'Didn’t expect SDPI to get so many votes, big setback for us': Shivakumar

Bengaluru: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Monday expressed concern over the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) eating into the Congress’ votes in the Davangere South bypoll.

SDPI candidate Afsar Kodlipete polled 18,975 votes. As a result, Congress’ victory margin was reduced to just 5,708 votes.

“This is a big danger for us. I didn’t expect them (SDPI) to get so many votes. It’s a big setback for us,” Shivakumar, who is also the Karnataka Congress president, said.

It is widely believed that SDPI got Muslim votes that would have otherwise gone to Congress. There were allegations that some Congress Muslim leaders, who were upset that the party did not give the ticket to someone from their community, tacitly supported the SDPI candidate.

Shivajinagar MLA Rizwan Arshad, who was deputed to Davangere South to end party leader Sadiq Pahilwan’s rebellion, maintained that the Congress received 70 per cent of minority votes. “It was a challenging election. Due to our internal politics, the victory margin was low,” he said.

Meanwhile, SDPI state president Abdul Majeed charged that there was a “tacit understanding” between Congress and BJP. “Such political arrangements expose how major parties protect each other by sidelining genuine alternative forces like the SDPI,” he said.

Majeed also accused Congress of electoral malpractices, including the use of “massive resources”. He said, “Ground reports showed organised distribution of money to influence voters, destroying the spirit of a free and fair election.”