On Sept. 23, at a press conference in Shivamogga, H.S. Sundaresh, chair of the Shivamogga Urban Development Authority (SUDA) and former president of the Shivamogga District Congress Committee, alleged that individuals close to the district’s in‑charge minister, Madhu Bangarappa, who also serves as Karnataka’s Minister for School Education, were demanding money from district officers.
According to Sundaresh, a person linked to the minister visited the SUDA office and asked the commissioner for a cash payment of ₹25 lakh. He also claimed another associate was profiting by manipulating the transfer of officials.
Sundaresh said the minister’s unilateral decisions have weakened the Congress organisation in the district, sidelining leaders who built the party over decades. He criticised the recent appointment of H.C. Yogesh as district party president, expressing disappointment that he himself was passed over.
The SUDA chief demanded that two sitting MLAs – Belur Gopala Krishna of Sagar and B.K. Sangameshwara of Bhadravati – be given ministerial portfolios, and warned that he and other senior leaders would quit the Congress if their demands were not met. He said he would soon meet senior party figures to press for changes in the party hierarchy and the state cabinet.
The accusations have sparked concerns about internal dissent within Karnataka’s Congress unit, but the claims remain unverified and no official response from the minister’s office has been reported.