K'taka: Recounting of votes in Malur Assembly seat tomorrow; BJP submits memorandum to DC, slams Cong

Kolar (Karnataka), Nov 10 Legislative Council Opposition leader and veteran BJP leader Chalavadi Narayanaswamy said on Monday that as per the court's order, the recounting of votes for the Malur Assembly Constituency will take place on Tuesday in the premises of the Deputy Commissioner's Office in Kolar.

Regarding the recounting of votes, a BJP delegation met the Kolar District Deputy Commissioner M.R. Ravi on Monday and submitted a memorandum.

The BJP leaders also mocked the Congress on its claims of voter fraud.

Speaking to the media on this occasion, BJP leader Narayanaswamy said that the victory margin in the constituency was very narrow.

"Due to the interference of certain individuals at that time, the BJP candidate had lost, and no recounting of votes was conducted," he claimed.

"At the last moment, our BJP polling agents were forcibly removed. Because of all these incidents, we had suspicions. That's why we approached the court, which has now given an order. The case even went up before the Supreme Court," he noted.

He also said, "During any counting process, there is always camera surveillance. All other constituencies in the state have recorded camera footage -- but why is there none for Malur?"

He also alleged that votes did not tally properly, which further raised doubts.

"The Deputy Commissioner has assured that the counting will be conducted in a fair and transparent manner," BJP leader Narayanaswamy added.

Narayanaswamy remarked, "We know what is happening across the country and what the Congress is doing."

He said that they had insisted that the recount should happen under camera surveillance and requested that any persons trying to exert pressure should be kept away.

When asked a query, he responded: "Didn't B.R. Ambedkar lose in 1952? Who was responsible for the electoral malpractice then? In 1971–72, when Raj Narain went to court alleging election fraud, what verdict did the Allahabad High Court give? What upheaval did that judgment cause in the country?"

"The Constitution given to us by Babasaheb Ambedkar barely survived for two-and-a-half years after that. How are the courts functioning today? Back then, the courts could hardly issue orders -- what kind of judgments are they issuing now?" he asked.

He also added, "If T.N. Seshan had not been the Election Commissioner, this country would never have realised that the Election Commission is an independent constitutional body."

Those present included MLC Keshava Prasad S, BJP Chief Spokesperson C.N. Ashwath Narayan, Malur BJP candidate Manjunath Gowda, and BJP District President Chalapathi.

The Karnataka High Court had set aside the election of K.Y. Nanjegowda (Congress MLA from Malur) from the 2023 Assembly elections, finding that the poll process had "serious transparency issues".

The court ordered a recount of votes in the constituency and directed that it be completed within four weeks.

The petition for this was filed by K.S. Manjunath Gowda (BJP), who lost to Nanjegowda by a narrow margin of 248 votes in 2023.

The order of the High Court was stayed by the Supreme Court on October 14, 2025, allowing Nanjegowda to continue as MLA for the moment.

The apex court instructed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to conduct the recount and submit the results in a sealed cover.

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