The Karnataka government has removed Naseer Ahmed from the post of Political Secretary to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah following allegations of anti-party activities during the Davanagere South Assembly by-election.
An order issued on April 13 by the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms relieved Ahmed of his responsibilities after he reportedly declined to resign despite the party high command’s direction.
The development comes amid internal turbulence within the ruling Congress. On April 11, KPCC Minority Cell chairperson Abdul Jabbar resigned, days after the Chief Minister indicated that Ahmed’s exit was likely.
Veteran Congress leader Shamnur Shivashankarappa, the 94-year-old Davanagere South MLA, died on December 14, leaving behind a powerful Lingayat political legacy. His family remains influential. His son, SS Mallikarjun, is a state minister; his daughter-in-law, Prabha Mallikarjun, is the Davanagere MP; and the family is linked by marriage to leaders such as MB Patil and Jagadish Shettar.
After his death, Mallikarjun’s bid to field his son, Samarth Mallikarjun, in the bypoll triggered dissent.
According to reports, Ahmed, Housing and Minorities Affairs Minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan, and Jabbar allegedly lobbied for a Muslim candidate in Davanagere South. After the Congress denied the ticket, the leaders reportedly distanced themselves from the campaign and are believed to have supported rival candidates, including those from the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI).
The trio is said to have opposed the candidature of Congress nominee Samarth Mallikarjun, son of Minister SS Mallikarjun. Abdul Jabbar, a three-time MLC, was also an aspirant, backed by Zameer Ahmed Khan.
This is the second such removal from the Chief Minister’s Office in recent years. On June 6, 2025, MLC K Govindaraju was removed as Political Secretary after allegedly pressuring the government to hold a felicitation ceremony for Royal Challengers Bengaluru following their maiden IPL championship victory. The event resulted in a stampede on June 4, 2025, in which 11 people were killed.