SHIVAMOGGA: court ordered recount of postal ballots in the Sringeri Assembly constituency in Chikkamagaluru district has reduced Congress MLA T D Rajegowda’s valid postal vote count by 255, while BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj’s tally fell by just two votes, giving the latter a 52 vote lead in the revised count.
The recounting of postal ballots was completed in the early hours of Sunday, with officials submitting the results in a sealed cover to the Election Commission.
The recount invalidated 255 votes that had previously been considered valid in the 2023 election, all of which had been cast in favour of sitting Congress MLA T D Rajegowda. His revised tally dropped sharply, while BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj’s count was reduced by only two votes.
The revised figures showed Jeevaraj securing 690 postal votes against Rajegowda’s 314, giving the BJP leader a lead of 52 votes.
BJP supporters celebrated the development, while Congress leaders filed a police complaint alleging tampering of ballot papers.
Returning Officer Gaurav Shetty said that during the original 2023 count of 1,822 postal ballots, Jeevaraj had secured 692 votes and Rajegowda 569. Following the High Court ordered verification and recount, Jeevaraj’s tally fell to 690, while Rajegowda’s count dropped by 255 votes to 314.
Shetty said the recount was conducted in accordance with court directions, after which the ballot papers were resealed and placed back in the strong room. A report detailing the discrepancies has been sent to the Election Commission.
Jeevaraj told reporters he had expected officials to formally declare him the winner and issue a certificate after the recount but said no such declaration had been made.
Rajegowda alleged that ballot papers cast in his favour showed additional markings that were not present during the 2023 count, including marks against other candidates’ names. He said those ballots had been accepted as valid in the presence of agents from all parties during the original counting process.
Sudheer Kumar Murolli, Rajegowda’s counting agent, alleged that only ballot bundles favouring the Congress leader were invalidated during the recount, despite having been declared valid earlier.
Murolli later filed a complaint with city police, accusing former election officer Vedamurthy, BJP candidate Jeevaraj and former Deputy Commissioner K N Ramesh of allegedly being involved in tampering with 255 ballot papers and seeking an investigation.
In the 2023 Karnataka Assembly election, Rajegowda had defeated Jeevaraj by 201 votes. Of the 1,822 postal ballots cast, 279 were initially rejected. Jeevaraj challenged the result in the High Court, which subsequently ordered the recount.
BJP state president B Y Vijayendra, meanwhile, claimed victory for his party’s candidate in a post on X, saying truth has finally prevailed on the “sacred soil of Sringeri”. He praised Jeevaraj for fighting constitutionally and called the recount a victory for faith in the electoral system and the judiciary. “In a democracy, truth never loses, and the Sringeri recount is proof of that,” he wrote.
It must be noted that no formal declaration of a winner has been made. Rajegowda continues to be the sitting MLA from Sringeri, and the High Court is yet to deliver its final ruling on the election petition. Any change in the status of the elected representative can only come through a court order.