The Congress and its 'vote chori' campaign - allegations the BJP is 'colluding' with the Election Commission to commit voter fraud - faces a potentially embarrassing setback in Karnataka after the High Court declared the 2023 Malur Assembly election result invalid and ordered a recount.
Two years ago, the Congress scripted an unlikely victory in the Karnataka election; the party swept 135 of the state's 224 seats, winning 55 more than it managed in 2018 and leaving the BJP just 66.
The Malur seat was won by KY Nanjegowda. He beat his BJP rival, Manjunath Gowda, by 248 votes.
The narrow margin was challenged by Mr Gowda, who claimed irregularities in vote-counting.
The High Court noted the District Election Officer failed to submit a video-recording of the counting. This raised 'procedural concerns', the court said as it set aside the result and ordered a re-count.
However, the High Court granted a 30-day interim stay for an appeal to be filed in the Supreme Court.
Either way, this is being seen as the second check on the Congress' 'vote chori' campaign in Karnataka, after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's comment last month - that 'fraud' lost him the 1991 Lok Sabha election, when he contested as a Janata Dal (Secular) candidate and lost to the Congress.
READ | "Defeated By Fraud In 1991": Siddaramaiah's 'Vote Chori' Check
The Congress' 'vote chori' campaign has sparked into top gear ahead of the Bihar election this year, on the back of controversy over the 'Special Intensive Revision' of the state's voter list.
The opposition party had earlier flagged what it claims are cases of voter fraud in last year's Lok Sabha election in Karnataka and the Assembly poll in Maharashtra. In PowerPoint presentations to the party-led INDIA bloc last month, Rahul Gandhi focused on voting trends in Bengaluru's Mahadevapura, which is part of a Lok Sabha seat in the city the Congress was widely expected to win but lost instead.
READ | Rahul Gandhi's "Voter Fraud" Powerpoint At INDIA Bloc Dinner Meet
Mr Gandhi cited poll records showing 80 people living in a one-room house as proof of voter fraud. But the owner of the house spoke to NDTV and firmly denied the claim.
On September 1 Mr Gandhi sought to ramp up pressure on the BJP on this topic; "BJP people, be ready, a 'vote chori' hydrogen bomb is coming," he declared.
READ | 'Confused' BJP Snaps At Rahul Gandhi's 'Vote Chori' Bomb Remark
The EC has firmly rubbished any talk of 'collusion' or voter fraud, and has demanded Mr Gandhi, or any accusing it of fraud, provide proof of that claim. The BJP has been similarly dismissive of the allegation and, in fact, pivoted the narrative last month by pointing out ex-Congress boss Sonia Gandhi had been illegally, though briefly, added to the voter list 45 years ago, before she was an Indian citizen.
NDTV is now available on WhatsApp channels. Click on the link to get all the latest updates from NDTV on your chat.
Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world
