All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Surjewala is facing mounting criticism and street-level protests in Davangere following the party’s controversial decision to field a dynastic candidate for the upcoming Davangere South Assembly by-election.

The by-poll, scheduled for April 9, was triggered by the death of the sitting Congress MLA.

After high-level deliberations in Bengaluru, the Congress high command, with Surjewala playing a key role in the final ticket selection, announced Samarth Mallikarjun, son of minister S.S. Mallikarjun and grandson of the late Lingayat leader Shamanur Shivashankarappa, as the official candidate.

The choice has sparked widespread anger among the Muslim community in Davangere South, which makes up an estimated 25-40% of the electorate and has traditionally been a strong Congress support base.

Community representatives had lobbied hard for a ticket to one of their own leaders, citing years of loyalty to the party.

Many now accuse the Congress leadership of favouring dynastic politics over minority aspirations.

Randeep Surjewala, who was directly involved in the ticket-finalisation meetings, has become the focal point of the resentment.

According to local reports and statements from protesting leaders, Surjewala reportedly told Muslim representatives that “Congress does not depend on any single community” and would not succumb to pressure, comments that were widely perceived as dismissive and have since fuelled outrage on the ground.

On March 22-23, hundreds of Muslim youth and local Congress workers staged a visible protest at Akhtar Raza Circle in Davangere.

Protesters waved black flags, carried placards demanding “Justice for Muslims,” and raised slogans specifically targeting Surjewala, along with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar.

Political analysts say the episode highlights the challenges Surjewala faces as the party’s point man in Karnataka, where balancing diverse vote banks and managing internal expectations is critical ahead of by-elections.

With the poll less than two weeks away, the Congress high command is engaged in urgent damage-control efforts, though no change in the candidate has been announced so far.

The row has put Randeep Surjewala firmly in the spotlight, raising questions about his handling of sensitive community issues and the party’s minority outreach strategy in the state.

How the leadership, under his watch, manages the discontent in Davangere could influence not only the outcome of this by-poll but also Congress’s broader political positioning in Karnataka in the coming months.