Karnataka Assembly Elections 2023: BJP clinches Jayanagar cliffhanger by 16 votes; Congress mulls legal route

It was the cliffhanger election legends are made of. The BJP’s C K Ramamurthy beat Congress MLA Sowmya Reddy by a measly 16 votes to win the Jayanagar assembly seat at Saturday midnight after a long, tense counting of votes at SSRMV PU College.

After 16 rounds of counting, Reddy polled 57,591 votes, holding a narrow 294 lead over Ramamurthy. While Congress workers celebrated, the BJP demanded a recount. Election officials agreed.

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The fortunes changed soon after. Ramamurthy emerged ahead with 17 votes reportedly after a re-check of postal and vote-from-home ballots. The Congress suspected “rigging” and demanded that Reddy be declared the winner as per status quo ante. Jaya Mouli, a member of the KPCC legal cell, blamed “manipulation” by the BJP for the change in results.

State Congress president D K Shivakumar, his brother and Bangalore Rural MP D K Suresh, BTM Layout MLA and Sowmya’s father Ramalinga Reddy and former Congress MP V S Ugrappa arrived at the counting centre.

There was tight security as Bengaluru police and reserve cops guarded all the roads leading to the counting centre. BBMP Chief Commissioner and Bengaluru District Election Officer Tushar Girinath also arrived at the venue.

After an hour of tense wait, Ramamurthy emerged from the counting centre, beaming and flashing a victory sign. BJP workers erupted in jubilation. It was the clearest sign of who emerged victorious in the nail-biting election.

The jubilant gathering almost caused a stampede outside the counting centre as BJP workers raised slogans hailing the party’s purported victory. Congress workers suddenly fell silent and dispersed after hours of vociferous cheering.

By 1 am, the Election Commission of India (ECI) declared the final results: Reddy 57,781, Ramamurthy 57,797.

The Congress camp plans to mount a legal challenge to the “unjust” verdict, a source said.