Supreme Court Orders Restoration of Congress MLA in Karnataka Amid Election Dispute The Supreme Court on May 11, 2026, intervened in a contentious election dispute from Karnataka’s Sringeri constituency, restoring Congress leader TD Rajegowda as the interim Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) while rejecting the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) claim to the seat. The court’s decision came after a prolonged legal battle over the validity of the 2023 assembly election results, which initially declared BJP candidate DN Jeevraj as the winner. The court’s ruling emphasized that the democratic process could not be “hijacked” and ordered the temporary reinstatement of Rajegowda, pending a full resolution of the dispute. The dispute originated from the 2023 Karnataka assembly elections, where Rajegowda narrowly defeated Jeevraj by 201 votes. Following the initial results, Jeevraj contested the outcome, leading to a petition filed with the Karnataka High Court. The High Court ordered a recount of postal ballots, which included re-examining 279 rejected votes. On May 3, 2026, the Returning Officer announced revised results, stating Rajegowda’s vote count had decreased by 255 votes, and Jeevraj was declared the winner. Rajegowda challenged this decision in the Supreme Court, arguing that the High Court’s recount was flawed and that the Returning Officer had improperly included 562 additional postal ballots in favor of Jeevraj. The Supreme Court, presided over by Justices Sanjay Kumar and K. Vinod Chandran, rejected the BJP’s claim, stating that the legal process could not be manipulated to undermine democratic principles. The bench issued an interim order directing both parties to maintain the status quo—effectively reinstating Rajegowda as the MLA until the dispute is resolved.#karnataka #supreme_court #bharatiya_janata_party #karnataka_high_court #td_rajegowda
