Davanagere, March 26 -- Efforts by senior Congress leaders to persuade rebel aspirant Sadiq Pailwan to withdraw his nomination ahead of the Davanagere South assembly byelection ended in failure on Thursday, raising concerns within the party about a split in votes and its impact on the electoral outcome.
A party delegation led by Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee working president Salim Ahmed and legislator Rizwan Arshad met Pailwan but could not change his decision to contest as an independent candidate after being denied an official ticket. Supporters of Pailwan greeted the delegation with hostile slogans, underscoring the depth of resentment among some party workers.
The stir reflects broader turmoil within the Congress over candidat...