Bengaluru, June 1 (IANS) An alleged audio recording purportedly featuring senior Congress leader Zameer Ahmad Khan, a close associate of outgoing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, has gone viral on social media on Monday, triggering political controversy amid ongoing discussions over the formation of the Karnataka Cabinet. However, no official clarification had been issued by Zameer Ahmad Khan on the purported video.

A 3-minute and 51-second edited video containing the audio was posted by social media accounts identified as “KannadaCockroacc” and “@kannadacocylvb”. The audio has since been widely circulated online, with claims that it pertains to the Davanagere South bye-election.

The viral clip has generated considerable discussion within political circles, particularly as Zameer Ahmad Khan is reportedly lobbying for a prominent ministerial berth in the new Karnataka government.

It can be recalled that Congress faced stiff resistance from the Muslim community for denying a ticket to a candidate from their community in Davanagere.

Veteran Congress leader late Shamanur Shivashankarappa’s grandson Samarth Mallikarjun managed to win with a narrow margin of 5,708 votes in the bypoll. Shamanur Shivashankarappa won the 2023 election by a margin of 27,888 votes.

It was alleged that Zameer Ahmad Khan wanted the Congress candidate to lose in order to strengthen his position as a prominent Muslim leader from Karnataka and ensure that the party would not ignore him in the future. Zameer Ahmad Khan had distanced himself from the high-voltage campaign in the Davanagere South bye-election, citing his engagement in election campaigning in Kerala as the reason for his absence.

According to the allegations, the audio captures a conversation between Zameer Ahmad Khan and Davanagere Congress leader Siraj. In the recording, the speaker is allegedly heard discussing voting patterns and purportedly advising supporters not to mobilise Muslim voters in favour of the Congress party’s official candidate.

The audio further allegedly contains remarks suggesting support for an Independent candidate and the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) instead of the Congress nominee. Critics have claimed that the conversation, if authentic, could indicate anti-party activities during the bye-election.

Despite the widespread circulation of the audio on social media, no official clarification had been issued by Zameer Ahmad Khan regarding the authenticity of the recording or the allegations arising from it.

Zameer Ahmad Khan in the purported audio is heard saying that it is a question of his reputation to ensure defeat of Congress candidate and he is not able to sleep properly at night due to the turn of events. However, the authenticity of the audio recording has not been independently verified, and no official investigation into the matter has been announced so far.

–IANS

mka/rad