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Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday alleged serious irregularities in the handling of postal ballots in the Sringeri Assembly constituency, accusing the BJP of electoral malpractice. Siddaramaiah said that a complaint has been filed, an FIR registered, and a court stay granted in the Sringeri postal ballot case. He alleged that election observers announced results without directions from the Election Commission or waiting for court instructions, calling it improper and termed "criminal conspiracy and vote tampering by the BJP."

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Addressing a press conference, Siddaramaiah said, "In 2023, Jeevaraj got 690 postal ballots, in which only 2 were declared invalid. Looking at this, it is clear that the BJP, through criminal conspiracy, engaged in 'vote chori'. These ballots were declared invalid because they were rewritten or had 2-3 markings on them, which makes them invalid. This is not only 'vote chori,' it is vote decoity."

CM Details Tampering Allegations

He further alleged that there was possible tampering after the counting process. "I spoke to officials and election experts, and what I came to know is that after counting, all documents are sent and stored in a trunk. At that time, when the BJP was in power, there was influence on lower-level officials, and markings were allegedly altered. This clearly amounts to criminal conspiracy and vote tampering," he said.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah alleged that the BJP did not raise any objections during the 2023 counting of postal ballots but is now questioning their validity, calling the move a "conspiracy" and claiming ballots were intentionally tampered with. "BJP did not raise any objection at that time. No objection was raised in 2023 regarding invalid ballots. Why was it not raised then? The subsequent declaration of invalid ballots itself appears to be part of a conspiracy, and postal ballots have been tampered with intentionally. It is clear that the BJP has done this with intention.

Questions Raised Over Recount Declaration

The observer was present during recounting. As per our information, even the observer has written to the Election Commission stating that there was criminal conspiracy in postal ballots. Even the Returning Officer should have allowed the court to decide before declaring the result. Instead, Jeevaraj was declared the winner," he said.

He said that despite the presence of an observer during recounting, concerns of alleged irregularities were flagged, and added that the Returning Officer should have awaited the court's decision instead of declaring Jeevaraj as the winner. Siddaramaiah further accused the BJP of undermining democratic processes, alleging that valid votes were removed through misuse of agencies and asserting that the party has shown disregard for the Constitution. "The BJP used agencies to remove valid voters. They have not respected democracy and the Constitution, and they are known for committing such acts," he added.

Background of the Election Dispute

Rajegowda had originally won the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections by a very thin margin of 201 votes, after 279 out of 1,822 postal ballots were rejected. BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj, the opposing candidate against Rajegowda, moved the court, leading to a legal battle which continued till April 6, 2026, after which the Karnataka High Court ordered for the re-count.

At the end of the recount, Congress MLA TD Rajegowda's victory margin increased by two votes, from 201 to 203. The recount was mandated by the Karnataka High Court in April 2026 to settle the 2023 election, where Rajegowda won by 201 votes 59,171 to Jeevaraj's 58,970. The High Court ordered re-verification of 279 rejected postal ballots. But the process has triggered tampering allegations.

Recount Reverses Original Outcome

Congress agents said locks and seals on several ballot boxes in the strong room looked disturbed before counting began. During re-verification, 255 postal ballots earlier marked for Rajegowda in 2023 were declared invalid. Election officer Gaurav Shetty said Jeevaraj's postal ballot count dipped slightly from 692 to 690, while Rajegowda's fell from 569 to 314. With the recount done, Rajegowda now trails Jeevaraj by 52 votes. The EC will review the sealed report before deciding on a formal declaration. (ANI)