Votes to independents will help BJP: Siddaramaiah in Davangere South

E-PaperSubscribeSubscribeEnjoy unlimited accessSubscribe Now! Get features like Chief minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday asked voters in Davanagere South to support the Congress in the April 9 by-election, framing the contest as a choice between his government’s welfare measures and what he described as misinformation by the Bharatiya Janata Party. Siddaramaiah (PTI)Campaigning across villages including Naganur, Turchaghatta and Tetugughatta, he called for a consolidation of votes in favour of the Congress candidate, Samarth Shamanur, and cautioned against backing independents. He said such votes could indirectly benefit the BJP. “Congress is a party that protects the minority community. No one should vote for independents. If minorities vote for independents, it will benefit BJP. The responsibility of winning a party that is in favour of the poor lies with the minorities. The BJP candidate should lose deposit,” he said. At Naganur, where he was received with an aarti, Siddaramaiah also addressed criticism over the state’s borrowing, saying the issue had already been answered in the legislature. He accused BJP leaders of raising allegations outside the House after remaining silent during discussions. Projecting his government’s welfare record, he rejected labels used by critics. He said he was a “food-loving Ramaiah” who ensured rice for the poor, not “Salada Ramaiah.” The chief minister also invoked the legacy of senior Congress leader Shamanur Shivashankarappa, linking it to the party’s campaign in the constituency. “Senior leader Shamanur Shivashankarappa dedicated the last two decades of his life to the development of this constituency. Even though he is not with us, his dream of development is before our eyes. By voting for the Congress candidate and joining hands in the progress of the constituency, the voters here should accept the resolve to make Shamanur Shivashankarappa’s dream come true,” he said. Responding to criticism over alleged dynastic politics, Siddaramaiah broadened his attack to include leaders across parties. “What morality does the BJP have that is spreading misinformation about Congress family politics? Aren’t BS Yeddyurappa’s sons BY Raghavendra and BY Vijayendra involved in family politics? Who is MP Basavaraj Bommai? Aren’t JDS leaders HD Deve Gowda, HD Kumaraswamy, HD Revanna and their wives and sons in politics?” he said. Even as the Congress intensified its campaign, the BJP sharpened its criticism of the state government’s record. At a press conference in Davangere, Karkala MLA V Sunil Kumar accused the government of failing to deliver on welfare commitments, particularly to backward communities. “The Congress government is using the name of Ahinda for political gain. It has completely failed to provide real justice to the Ahinda community,” he said. He pointed to what he described as a gap between announced and released funds. “There is a huge gap between the grants announced and released by the government. In 2025-26, a total of ₹716 crore was announced and only ₹413 crore was released,” he said. Detailing the allocations, he added, “Out of the ₹155 crore announced for Ambedkar Development Corporation, ₹89 crore was released. Out of the ₹51 crore for Safai Karmachari Development Corporation, ₹29.63 crore was released, out of the ₹93.5 crore for Bhovi Corporation, ₹68.81 crore was released, and out of the ₹220 crore for Adijambava Development Corporation, only ₹93 crore was released.” He cited similar discrepancies in other corporations. “Out of ₹100 crore, ₹73 crore has been released for the Thanda Development Corporation, and out of ₹50 crore for the Nomad Development Corporation, only ₹35 crore has been released. This shows the failure of the government,” he said. On employment, Sunil Kumar questioned the government’s commitments. “The Congress government has announced the recruitment of 56,000 posts in the budget. However, no funds have been allocated. The government is trying to lay off 93,000 outsourced employees. This will lead to the collapse of the administrative system,” he said.