New Delhi, 5 Feb

The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the election of Congress MLA KY Nanjegowda from Malur in the 2023 Karnataka Assembly election.

The apex court had earlier stayed the Karnataka High Court order that set aside his election, while directing the Election Commission to conduct a recount of votes cast in his Constituency for the 2023 Assembly Election and submit the result to it in a sealed cover.

The Supreme Court opened the sealed cover and found that according to the recount, Nanjegowda had secured 50,957 votes while the BJP's KS Manjunath Gowda had received 50,707votes.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi said that Nanjegowda's election therefore remained unaffected.

"Consequently, we allow this appeal, to the extent that the impugned decision of setting aside the election of appellant is set aside and the election of the appellant from Malur is upheld," the bench said.

The BJP candidate filed an election petition in the High Court after Nanjegowda won by a margin of only 248 votes against Gowda, alleging irregularities in the counting process.