The Supreme Court on Thursday (February 5) restored the election of Congress leader K Y Nanjegowda as MLA from Karnataka’s Malur constituency, overturning a Karnataka High Court ruling that had annulled his 2023 Assembly victory.

Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi represented Nanjegowda before the Supreme Court. The apex court observed that even after a recount of votes, Nanjegowda continued to lead his BJP rival K S Manjunath Gowda by 250 votes, Live Law reported.

Nanjegowda had originally won the Malur seat in the 2023 Assembly elections by a narrow margin of 248 votes over Manjunath Gowda of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Challenging the result, the BJP candidate had approached the High Court alleging irregularities and seeking a recount of votes.

Accepting the plea, the High Court had earlier set aside the election result and ordered a recount along with a fresh declaration of results. Nanjegowda subsequently moved the Supreme Court against the High Court’s decision.

The apex court admitted the appeal in October last year and directed the Returning Officer to conduct a recount and submit the outcome in a sealed cover.

On Thursday, a bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi opened the sealed cover in the presence of both parties and noted that the Congress leader had secured 50,957 votes, while Manjunath Gowda received 50,707 votes.

“That being so, the election of the candidate from Malur remains unaffected even after compliance of direction of recounting of votes issued by the HC. 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 court said, as reported by Live Law.