Siddaramaiah alleges 'vote theft' in Sringeri recount, calls it criminal conspiracy
Synopsis
A court-ordered recount in Karnataka's Sringeri seat flipped a 201-vote Congress win into a BJP victory — and now Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is calling it a criminal conspiracy. With 255 of Rajegowda's postal votes suddenly declared invalid and an FIR registered, the dispute goes well beyond one constituency: it is a direct challenge to the integrity of Karnataka's 2023 election process.
Key Takeaways
Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah alleged a "criminal conspiracy" in the recount of postal ballots in Sringeri Assembly constituency from the 2023 polls .
Congress candidate T.D.
Rajegowda had originally won by 201 votes ; after the Karnataka High Court -ordered recount, BJP's D.N.
Jeevaraj emerged victorious.
In the recount, 255 of Rajegowda's postal votes were declared invalid, including all 170 votes from the third round previously deemed valid.
Siddaramaiah alleged the returning officer declared results without approval from the election observer and demanded forensic examination of the ballots.
An FIR has been registered on Rajegowda's complaint; election observers reportedly wrote to the Election Commission of India flagging the irregularities.
Congress won both Bagalkot and Davanagere bye-elections, its third consecutive bypoll victory in the state.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday levelled serious allegations of electoral malpractice in the Sringeri Assembly constituency, claiming that a "criminal conspiracy" had been executed in the handling of postal ballots during the recount of the 2023 Karnataka Assembly election. Speaking at a press conference at his official residence 'Krishna' in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah alleged that around 250 votes polled in favour of the Congress candidate had been deliberately tampered with.
Background: What the Recount Was About
The reverification and recounting of postal ballots in Sringeri was undertaken following directions of the Karnataka High Court, which acted on a petition filed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate D.N. Jeevaraj alleging irregularities in the original count. In the 2023 Assembly election, Congress candidate T.D. Rajegowda had won the seat by a margin of 201 votes, securing 59,171 votes against Jeevaraj's 58,970.
Of Rajegowda's total, 58,602 votes came through EVMs and 569 through postal ballots, while Jeevaraj secured 58,278 EVM votes and 692 postal votes. All these votes had been declared valid at the time, with election officials and counting agents signing off on the results.
How the Recount Changed the Outcome
The court-ordered recount, conducted on 6 March, drastically altered the postal ballot figures. According to Siddaramaiah, only 314 of Rajegowda's postal votes were considered valid in the recount, while 255 were declared invalid. Jeevaraj, meanwhile, retained 690 postal votes. Following the recount, the BJP candidate emerged victorious, overturning the sitting Congress MLA's earlier win.
Notably, all 170 postal ballots received by Rajegowda in the third round — previously treated as valid — were declared invalid during the recount. Siddaramaiah pointed out that Congress counting agent Sudhir Kumar Maroli and other agents had signed documents in 2023 confirming the validity of those very votes. "If the votes were invalid, objections could have been raised then itself. Why were no objections raised at that time?" he asked.
What the Chief Minister Alleged
Siddaramaiah alleged that the BJP, which was in power both in the state and at the Centre at the time of the 2023 polls, may have misused officials to tamper with ballot papers. "This happened under what they called a 'double-engine government'. The involvement of staff in altering ballot papers is evident. It is a criminal conspiracy," he said.
He further alleged that the returning officer had hurriedly declared the recount results without obtaining approval from the election observer. "The postal ballots should have been sent for forensic examination, and the declaration of results should have been left to the court. Whoever is responsible must be punished," Siddaramaiah asserted. He added that election observers present during the recount had reportedly written to the Election Commission of India (ECI) flagging a serious criminal conspiracy.
An FIR has been registered based on a complaint filed by Rajegowda, and Siddaramaiah demanded an impartial investigation into the matter. He also referred to past controversies, accusing the BJP of attempting to manipulate voter lists through an organisation named 'Chilume' and alleging that genuine voters had been excluded in places like Aland.
Political Context: Bypolls and 2028 Outlook
On a broader political note, Siddaramaiah said the Indian National Congress (Congress) had won both the Bagalkot and Davanagere bye-elections, marking three consecutive bypoll victories for the party. He noted that BJP leaders had earlier projected these bypolls as a direction indicator for the 2028 Assembly elections. "By their own logic, it now means Congress will return to power in 2028," he said.
He attributed the bypoll wins to public approval of the government's guarantee schemes and added that the party would review its performance in areas where votes had gone to the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI). With the Sringeri controversy now before investigators and the ECI, the outcome of the FIR and any forensic examination of the postal ballots is expected to shape the next phase of this electoral dispute.
Point of View
Not just an FIR. The absence of forensic examination before the returning officer declared results is a genuine process failure, regardless of which party benefits. What this episode exposes is a deeper structural vulnerability: postal ballot handling in India remains opaque, under-scrutinised, and susceptible to post-hoc challenge. The BJP's silence on the specific procedural questions — why no objections were raised in 2023, why the observer was bypassed — is as telling as the Congress's outrage.
NationPress
23 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened in the Sringeri Assembly constituency recount?
A Karnataka High Court-ordered recount of postal ballots from the 2023 Assembly election reversed the original result. Congress candidate T.D. Rajegowda, who had won by 201 votes, lost after 255 of his postal votes were declared invalid, handing victory to BJP's D.N. Jeevaraj.
Why did Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah call the Sringeri recount a criminal conspiracy?
Siddaramaiah alleged that postal votes previously certified as valid by election officials and counting agents were arbitrarily invalidated during the recount, and that the returning officer declared results without the election observer's approval. He claimed around 250 votes were deliberately tampered with, calling it systematic vote theft.
Has an FIR been registered in the Sringeri postal ballot case?
Yes, an FIR has been registered based on a complaint filed by Congress candidate T.D. Rajegowda. Siddaramaiah has demanded an impartial investigation and forensic examination of the disputed postal ballots.
What did the election observer do during the Sringeri recount?
According to Siddaramaiah, election observers present during the recount reportedly wrote to the Election Commission of India flagging a serious criminal conspiracy. He alleged the returning officer declared results without obtaining the observer's approval, which he described as a procedural violation.
What is the political significance of the Sringeri controversy for Karnataka?
The dispute strikes at the credibility of the 2023 Karnataka Assembly election and comes as the Congress government faces scrutiny. Siddaramaiah used the press conference to also highlight Congress's wins in the Bagalkot and Davanagere bye-elections, framing the party's bypoll hat-trick as a counter-narrative ahead of the 2028 state polls.
