Bengaluru, April 6 (NationPress) The Karnataka High Court has mandated the re-evaluation of 279 postal ballots in the Sringeri Assembly constituency after a petition that contests the election of Congress MLA T.D. Rajegowda.

This directive was issued after the court's review on Monday, requiring that the re-examination be finalized within two weeks. This ruling pertains to the electoral dispute involving Congress MLA T.D. Rajegowda and BJP contender D.N. Jeevaraj.

The order was delivered by a bench overseen by Justice R. Nataraj during the hearing of a petition from the defeated BJP candidate D.N. Jeevaraj, who sought to have Rajegowda's election declared null and void.

It's significant to highlight that the 279 rejected postal ballots are deemed crucial, as their re-evaluation could substantially influence the election's final result. Should a considerable number of these ballots favor Jeevaraj, it could potentially change the outcome.

Jeevaraj contended that Rajegowda triumphed in the 2023 Assembly election by a slim margin of approximately 200 votes and raised concerns regarding irregularities in the postal ballot counting process. He also accused the victorious candidate of expending Rs 120 crore during the election, claiming he possesses circumstantial evidence to back his assertions.

During the proceedings, Rajegowda's counsel requested a stay on the court's order, indicating an intention to appeal to the Supreme Court. This request was contested by Jeevaraj’s attorney. After considering both arguments, the High Court allowed for the appeal to be filed and provided an interim stay on its order for two weeks.

Prior to this, Rajegowda sought the dismissal of Jeevaraj’s petition, but the High Court declined his request. He then approached the Supreme Court, which dismissed his plea while permitting the matter to proceed in the High Court and allowing the petitioner to raise objections.

With the interim stay imposed for two weeks, the subsequent proceedings in this case will hinge on the results of the impending appeal before the Supreme Court.

The Karnataka High Court has noted irregularities in the counting process in the Sringeri Assembly constituency and has mandated a re-evaluation of 279 rejected postal ballots from a total of 2,101 votes cast via postal voting.

During the proceedings, Rajegowda's legal representative requested a three-week period to file an appeal before the Supreme Court, but the court granted only two weeks for the same. Relevant authorities, including the District Election Authority, have been notified accordingly.

In the recent 2023 Karnataka Assembly election for the Sringeri constituency, Congress candidate T.D. Rajegowda garnered 59,171 votes, while BJP’s D.N. Jeevaraj received 58,970 votes, with Rajegowda winning the seat by a narrow margin of just 201 votes.

Considering the slim margin of victory, the re-evaluation of the rejected postal ballots is of paramount importance, and the final result will hinge on the findings of the recount ordered by the High Court.

It is worth mentioning that in the Malur Assembly constituency of Kolar district, the election of Congress leader K.Y. Nanjegowda was initially annulled by the court, which subsequently ordered a re-count. However, Nanjegowda retained his victory in the follow-up re-count, thereby concluding the matter.