B.Z. Zameer Ahmed Khan

Zameer Ahmed Khan (born 1 August 1966) is an Indian politician serving as the cabinet minister in the Government of Karnataka. He is a 5 time MLA of Chamrajpet Constituency. He has been listed as one of the 100 most influential Muslims 2025 by renowned English portal Muslim Mirror

Early life

BP Basheer Ahmed Khan founded National Travels. After his death in the early 1950s, his eldest son B Ataulla Khan took charge of the company followed by his brothers namely: B Ziaulla, B Sanaulla, B Anwarulla, B Rahmathulla, B Noorulla, and B Sirajulla. They were succeeded by a third generation, led by B Ataulla Khan and his brothers.

Career He is a member of the Legislative Assembly, Cabinet Minister Govt. Of Karnataka and former General Secretary of the Karnataka Pradesh Janata Dal (Secular). Khan was the former Minister for the Hajj and Wakf Board for government of Karnataka.

In 2005, S. M. Krishna was appointed Maharashtra governor, which paved the way for Zameer's political growth. When Krishna vacated Chamarajpet's seat to take up the governor's post, JD(S) fielded Zameer who beat Krishna's lieutenant R. V. Devraj. Subsequently, Zameer was sworn in as Haj and Wakf minister in the JDS-BJP coalition government under H D Kumaraswamy. On 25 March 2018, Zameer along with 6 other MLA's of the JD(S) party officially joined Indian National Congress.

Position held

Controversies

Davanagere South bypoll sabotage row (2026)

In April 2026, Khan became embroiled in a major intra-party controversy centered on the Davanagere South by-election. Khan had reportedly assured that a Muslim candidate would be fielded for the seat and projected himself as a key decision-maker for minority representation; when the ticket was ultimately denied to a Muslim aspirant, dissatisfaction mounted among the party's Muslim leadership. Khan remained largely absent from the constituency during the campaign, citing responsibilities related to elections in Kerala; he eventually made a brief visit to Davanagere at the insistence of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar. Complaints were also reportedly escalated to AICC General Secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala.

On 1 June 2026, an audio clip purportedly featuring Khan urging Muslim voters to back the SDPI and independent candidates over the official Congress nominee went viral on social media. The authenticity of the clip was not independently verified, and Khan had not publicly responded at the time of the clip's circulation; the Congress party reportedly initiated an internal inquiry into the matter.

At least one report by AICC Karnataka in-charge Abhishek Dutt and a separate state intelligence report pointed to the alleged role of several Congress Muslim leaders, including Khan, in funding rebel candidates to split the Muslim vote. Following the internal inquiry, the party removed KPCC minority cell chief Abdul Jabbar from primary membership and dismissed Naseer Ahmed, political secretary to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, making them the first two functionaries to lose their positions over the bypoll controversy.

Khan subsequently met Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to explain his conduct and maintained to reporters that Muslim leaders within Congress remained united. The Congress ultimately won the Davanagere South bypoll on 4 May 2026 with candidate Samarth Mallikarjun securing 69,578 votes and a lead of 5,708 votes. However, the SDPI's vote share in the constituency surged from under 1 per cent in 2023 to approximately 12 per cent — a shift widely attributed to internal Congress dissension over minority outreach during the campaign.