Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s Political Secretary, Naseer Ahmad, has been dismissed from his position for reportedly undermining Congress candidate Samarth Shamanur in the recent Davanagere South bye-election. Naseer Ahmad, a close aide to the Chief Minister, faced this action following allegations of influencing Muslim voters against the party’s candidate in the Assembly segment. The Karnataka government issued an order relieving Naseer Ahmad from his role as Political Secretary with immediate effect.
Sources within the Congress party revealed that Naseer Ahmad was given a deadline by AICC General Secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala to resign by Monday evening. As he failed to comply, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was directed to remove him from the Cabinet-rank post. The move came after accusations that Naseer Ahmad and another party member, K. Abdul Jabbar, did not actively support the Congress candidate during the bypoll and allegedly instigated Muslim voters against the party.
The party had previously demanded the resignation of K. Abdul Jabbar, the State Minority Department President, which was accepted by State Congress President D.K. Shivakumar. Both Naseer Ahmad and Jabbar are accused of swaying Muslim voters against the Congress candidate to pressurize the party into fielding a Muslim candidate in the upcoming 2028 Assembly elections. A report submitted by AICC representatives monitoring the election campaign in Karnataka has prompted the national leadership to recommend strict action against the implicated leaders.
Insiders claim that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is displeased with the situation, as both Naseer Ahmad and Jabbar are considered part of his faction. The report has also raised concerns about Minister for Waqf and Housing, B.Z. Zameer Ahmad Khan, for his absence from the campaign and alleged involvement in influencing local Muslim leaders against the Congress candidate. In response, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has called for a meeting with Minister Zameer Ahmad Khan to address the issue.
Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar is reportedly supporting the promotion of Bengaluru MLA Rizwan Arshad and senior leader MLC Saleem Ahmad in light of the recent developments.
