Karnataka High Court annuls Congress MLA's win, orders Malur vote recount

Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday set aside the election of Congress MLA KY Nanje Gowda, who represents the Malur constituency in Kolar district, and ordered recounting of the votes polled in the constituency in the May 2023 assembly polls in four weeks, in a major setback for the ruling Congress.

The judgement by Justice R Devadas came on an election petition filed by BJP candidate KS Manjunath Gowda, who had lost to the Congress candidate by 248 votes. The petitioner had alleged irregularities in the counting of votes. The court invalidated the Congress MLA's election after an elaborate hearing on the petition.

The court, however, has put operation of its judgement on hold for a month on a plea from the Congress MLA. The interim relief would allow him to move the Supreme Court. Malur seat will fall vacant after a month if the MLA does not get the relief from the SC.


The court verdict has come as a major setback for the Congress MLA who has been pursuing plans to become the chairman of the Karnataka Cooperative Milk Federation (KMF), the owner of dairy brand Nandini.

The BJP welcomed the HC order as it comes barely a month after Rahul Gandhi kicked off the Congress party's nationwide "vote theft" campaign from Bengaluru on August 8, seeking to amplify his charge that the elections had been rigged in Mahadevapura assembly segment of Bangalore Central Lok Sabha seat.

BJP leader R Ashoka called the development "vote chori" by the Congress.