Karnataka High Court Annuls Congress MLA's Election, Orders Vote Recount
The Karnataka High Court has set aside the 2023 election of Congress MLA K.Y. Nanje Gowda from the Malur constituency and ordered a complete recount of the votes. The verdict came after his BJP opponent, K.S. Manjunath Gowda, who lost by a narrow margin of 248 votes, filed a petition alleging irregularities. The court noted the District Election Officer's failure to produce video evidence of the counting process. The order has been stayed for 30 days.
Unpacked:
The BJP candidate, K.S. Manjunath Gowda, alleged irregularities in the vote counting process, particularly the District Election Officer's failure to produce video evidence of the counting, which is required for transparency and to verify the integrity of the process.
The 2023 Malur Assembly election was extremely close, with Congress’s K.Y. Nanje Gowda winning by just 248 votes over BJP’s K.S. Manjunath Gowda. An independent candidate, Hoodi Vijayakumar, also had a significant impact, receiving nearly as many votes as the top two candidates.
If the recount changes the original result and the BJP candidate is found to have won, the current MLA, K.Y. Nanje Gowda, would lose his seat, and K.S. Manjunath Gowda could be declared the winner, subject to possible further legal appeals.
Malur is a key constituency in Kolar district, Karnataka, with over 190,000 voters. It has seen close contests between Congress, BJP, and other parties, reflecting broader state political trends. It is not reserved for any category and has alternated between major parties over the decades.