BENGALURU, June 2 -- State housing minister Zameer Ahmed Khan and Congress leader Mohammed Siraj both issued denials after a purported audio clip allegedly featuring them spurred a row on social media on Monday.

The clip contains a purported discussion between both leaders on voting during the April 9 by-election in Davanagere South constituency. Sadiq is heard discussing voting trends in the constituency. "I visited many booths. The cooker is everywhere, the diamond is less. Some people from the Congress are distributing money. They are saying that people know how to vote by rejecting the money. I have given Rs.1.5 lakh to Sadiq brother. I have instructed him to ensure that votes go to SDPI."

The "cooker" apparently refers to the press...