Supreme Court Grants Temporary Relief to Congress MLA Rajegowda Amid Election Dispute The Supreme Court on May 11, 2026, ruled in favor of Congress MLA T.D. Rajegowda, temporarily preserving his position as a member of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly. The court ordered that Rajegowda remain as the representative of the Shringeri constituency despite the recent election results, which had declared BJP candidate D.N. Jivraj as the winner. The decision came after Rajegowda challenged the validity of the election outcome in the Supreme Court, arguing that the recount of postal ballots conducted by the High Court violated legal procedures. The dispute originated from the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections, where Rajegowda secured victory by a narrow margin of 201 votes over Jivraj. Following the results, Jivraj contested the outcome, filing a petition with the Karnataka High Court. On April 6, 2026, the High Court ordered a recount of 279 rejected postal ballots, including a revalidation of their authenticity. On May 3, 2026, the Returning Officer officially announced the revised results, stating that Rajegowda’s vote count had been reduced by 255 votes, leading to Jivraj’s declaration as the winner. Rajegowda contested this outcome, asserting that the High Court’s recount process was flawed. In his petition to the Supreme Court, he argued that the court had expanded the scope of the recount beyond the 279 rejected ballots, including 562 valid postal ballots that were not originally part of the disputed count. He claimed this violated electoral laws and undermined the integrity of the election process. The Supreme Court, in its ruling, acknowledged the concerns raised by Rajegowda but emphasized that the legal framework for electoral disputes must be upheld.#supreme_court #rajegowda #karnataka_legislative_assembly #shringeri_constituency #d_n_jivraj
