Bengaluru, 14 April 

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's political secretary Naseer Ahmed has been 'relieved with immediate effect'.

According to party sources, the Congress MLC has been accused of working against the party candidate in the Davangere South Assembly bypolls.

The party had fielded Samarth Shamanur, the grandson of 94-year-old MLA Shamanur Shivashankarappa, whose death necessitated the bypoll.

Samarth is the son of Karnataka Mines and Geology Minister SS Mallikarjun.

"Naseer Ahmed is relieved from the post of political secretary to the chief minister with immediate effect," a government notification dated 13 April said.

Three days ago, Congress MLC Abdul Jabbar resigned as president of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) Minority Cell.

Siddaramaiah on Tuesday summoned the Housing, Minority Welfare and Waqf Minister, BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan, to his office residence.

"Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has asked me to come to his residence in half an hour. I am going there now," Khan told reporters here.

These Muslim leaders were accused of working against Samarth Shamanur. Ever since Samarth's name was announced, there has been rumbling in the ruling Congress.

A rebel Congress candidate, Sadiq Pailwan, had filed nomination papers from Davangere South but later withdrew his nomination after Siddaramaiah persuaded him.

However, the dissent in Congress continued as most of the Muslim leaders refrained from campaigning.

Davangere South has a substantial Muslim population, and Muslim leaders wanted a candidate from their community, but the Congress preferred Samarth Shamanur.

According to Khan, it was not a hidden fact that Muslim leaders had demanded a ticket for someone from the community.

The minister said that on March 20, Congress general secretary and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar had called a meeting at the Congress office, where more than 200 leaders from Davanagere had participated, including a large number of minority leaders.

"I said in an open meeting: Please give us a Muslim candidate, sir. Give Davanagere to anyone (from the Muslim community). I said this openly in the meeting. Nothing was said behind closed doors," Khan said.

The Minister said that he had even said in the meeting that if the candidate does not win, he will resign from the ministerial post.

Regarding Ahmed's removal, Khan said, "I only came to know that he (Ahmed) has resigned. I don't know the reason. I came to know that the CM had asked him to go to Davanagere, and since he didn't go, a decision has been taken. Right now, I am on my way to the CM's residence," the Minister said.