Karnataka Results: Why are Congress and BJP sparring over Jayanagar seat?

Though the Karnataka polls are done and dusted, the Congress and BJP continue to spar over the Jayanagar seat. Late Saturday night, election officials declared the BJP’s CK Ramamurthy the winner of the seat over the Congress’ Sowmya Reddy by a razor-thin margin of 16 votes. “The result was announced by the officials at the Counting Centre at S S M R V College in Jayanagar late tonight,” a state Information Department official said in a statement. Let’s take a look at the twists and turns over the Jayanagar seat: Sources told The Hindu that Reddy was initially declared the winner after all the rounds of counting. However, BJP leaders including Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya and Padmanabhanagar MLA R Ashok objected to 177 postal ballots that had been rejected on technical grounds. [caption id=“attachment_12594962” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] The Congress’ Sowmya Reddy was seen leaving the counting centre in tears. News18[/caption] Amid the prevailing confusion, Tushar Giri Nath, the District Election Officer and BBMP chief commissioner reached the spot.

Election Officials then agreed to  a recount, as per Deccan Chronicle.

“Later, after many officials and others met on the spot, they counted the 177 postal ballots which were previously rejected. That is how BJP was declared as a winner by a margin of 16 votes,” sources told The Hindu. According to Deccan Chronicle, the Congress then accused the BJP of rigging the election with KPCC legal cell member Jaya Mouli claiming the results were ‘manipulated’. Meanwhile, state Congress chief DK Shivakumar, his brother and Bangalore Rural MP DK Suresh, BTM Layout MLA, Sowmya’s father Ramalinga Reddy and former Congress MP V S Ugrappa all arrived at the scene. Sources told The Hindu that the Congress leaders attempted to enter the counting centre but were stopped from doing so. This was done as the police feared that a chaotic situation would further devolve. The Congress leaders then tried to force open the gates of the centre which caused quite a stir. The News Minute tweeted:

Ruckus in Jayanagar after recounting https://t.co/Ut0308oFQ3

— TheNewsMinute (@thenewsminute) May 13, 2023

The Congress leaders then held a demonstration outside the polling booth and accused the BJP of misusing government machinery to favour Ramamurthy. Shivakumar tweeted:

ಜಯನಗರ ವಿಧಾನಸಭಾ ಕ್ಷೇತ್ರದ ಕಾಂಗ್ರೆಸ್ ಅಭ್ಯರ್ಥಿ ಶ್ರೀಮತಿ ಸೌಮ್ಯ ರೆಡ್ಡಿ ಅವರು ಗೆಲುವು ಸಾಧಿಸಿದ್ದರೂ ಮರುಎಣಿಕೆ ನೆಪದಲ್ಲಿ ಫಲಿತಾಂಶ ತಿರುಚಲು ಪ್ರಯತ್ನಿಸಿದ ಚುನಾವಣೆ ಅಧಿಕಾರಿಗಳ ನಡೆ ವಿರೋಧಿಸಿ ಮತ ಎಣಿಕೆ ಕೇಂದ್ರ ಜಯನಗರದ ಆರ್ ವಿ ಶಿಕ್ಷಣ ಸಂಸ್ಥೆ ಎದುರು ಧರಣಿ ನಡೆಸಿ, ಮತ ಎಣಿಕೆ ಕೇಂದ್ರದ ಒಳಗೆ ಏಜೆಂಟರಲ್ಲದ ಬಿಜೆಪಿ ಮುಖಂಡರಾದ ಆರ್… pic.twitter.com/9F9LGFwO05

— DK Shivakumar (@DKShivakumar) May 13, 2023

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According to India Today, the Bengaluru police and reserves kept watch on all the roads leading to the centre. Meanwhile, BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya alleged that Ramamurthy had won but the Congress leaders were not letting the election officials issue the certificate.

The Congress has lost the Jayanagar constituency in Bengaluru but D K Shivkumar and Congress goons are holding up EC officials and not letting them issue certificate…

Just because senior Congress leader Ramalinga Reddy’s daughter is in fray.

What kind of hooliganism is this? pic.twitter.com/Tw8hvKgh0u

— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) May 13, 2023

After many hours of tension, Ramamurthy was finally declared the winner. Reddy was then seen leaving in tears, as per The Hindu. Surya tweeted:

WE RECLAIM JAYANAGAR!

OUR HUMBLE TRIBUTE TO SRI BN VIJAYAKUMAR SIR. 🙏🙏

— Tejasvi Surya (@Tejasvi_Surya) May 13, 2023

The final tally on the Election Commission website puts Ramamurthy at 57,297 compared to 57,591.

Sources told India Today Shivakumar had filed a complaint with the poll body.

Reddy on Sunday tweeted:

Grateful for all my people of #Jayanagara who voted for me and @INCKarnataka cadre & leaders who had my back throughout.

Thanks to the thousands of you who have showed solidarity.

I plead your continued support to fight this injustice of foul play in the Jayanagar elections.…

— Sowmya | ಸೌಮ್ಯ (@Sowmyareddyr) May 14, 2023

The Congress won 136 seats in the 224-member Karnataka Assembly, while the BJP has won 66 seats and the JD(S) 19 seats. Independents won two seats while Kalyana Rajya Pragathi Paksha and Sarvodaya Karnataka Paksha won one seat each. After the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lost the Karnataka Assembly elections, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Saturday tendered his resignation to Governor Thaawar Chand Gehlot. “I have tendered my resignation and it has been accepted,” Bommai told reporters. Bommai won with a margin of 35,978 votes from Shiggaon constituency but many of his ministerial colleagues lost. Karnataka went to the polls on 10 May for the 224-member state Assembly. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News,  Trending News,  Cricket News,  Bollywood News,  India News and  Entertainment News here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.