The Supreme Court has expressed displeasure with the Election Commission for losing the video recording of vote counting during the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections.
The Supreme Court, in a hearing on Wednesday, expressed dissatisfaction towards the Election Commission (EC) over their claim that they were unable to trace the video recording of the counting of votes for the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections. The poll panel's assertion came under scrutiny during an election dispute between Congress leader TD Rajegowda and Bharatiya Janata Party’s DN Jeevaraj. The court has now directed the EC to produce the election observer’s report, video recordings of the original vote counting, and the re-counting.
According to reports by Bar and Bench, Rajegowda had won the Sringeri constituency in 2023 by a margin of 201 votes. However, Jeevraj contested this victory in the Karnataka High Court, leading to a re-count of votes which included verification of 279 postal ballots that were initially rejected. Following the re-count, Jeevaraj's tally increased to 690, while Rajegowda’s dropped to 314, marking a reduction of 255 votes, and Jeevaraj was declared the winner by 52 votes.
Rajegowda later moved the Supreme Court against the declaration. The court has now ordered that he will remain the MLA from Sringeri till a judgement is reached on his appeal.
Source:
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