Dinesh Gundu Rao dilemma: Why Congress may let sleeping dogs lie in Karnataka’s Jayanagar

Soumya Reddy’s shocking defeat in a late-night recounting of votes at Jayanagar on Saturday (May 13) prompted Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief DK Shivakumar to stage a protest outside the counting centre. But the Congress is wary of raking up the issue any further because it may put one of its own in trouble.

Dinesh Gundu Rao’s win from Bengaluru’s Gandhinagar also came on a thin margin of 105 votes, and the Congress is wary of the BJP’s demand for a recounting of “rejected postal ballots” in Gandhinagar as it did in Jayanagar. Rao is a senior Congress leader and aspires to get a ministerial berth in the new Cabinet. Therefore, the party bosses are not in the mood to move court over the Soumya Reddy incident, as it may boomerang in Rao’s case, said party sources.

Late-night drama in Jayanagar

Even as the Congress was busy celebrating the thumping majority in the state Assembly elections on Saturday, a drama was unfolding in Jayanagar. Soumya Reddy, daughter of former minister Ramalinga Reddy, was declared the winner by 160 votes. However, BJP’s CK Ramamurthy, her nearest rival, appealed for a recounting of votes. Since Reddy had not yet been handed over the winner’s certificate, the election officer obliged. And, after the second counting, Ramamurthy won by a whisker — 16 votes.

Ramalinga Reddy, who won the neighbouring BTM Layout seat for the fourth consecutive time, was furious. He alleged that the postal votes that had been rejected earlier had been included in the recounting. “The election officials have done something illegal by counting the rejected postal votes. Soumya was ahead when the first counting was done. There was a margin of about 160 votes,” he fumed. He alleged that some election officials had “worked for the BJP”.

Congress leaders alleged the votes were recounted after Bengaluru South MP Tejaswi Surya intervened. Ramamurthy’s supporters’ revelry in the presence of Tejaswi Surya after the recounting further riled up Congress supporters, who got into a tussle with the BJP activists, sparking tension in the area and bringing in extra police vigilance late at night.

A large number of people gathered around the counting centre at SSMRV PU College, Jayanagar. Shivakumar and Ramalinga Reddy staged a protest and accused the election officer of siding with the BJP. They demanded to know why Tejaswi Surya had been allowed into the counting centre. Shivakumar’s brother, MP DK Suresh, and his supporters allegedly tried to enter the counting station, but the police pacified them.

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Dinesh Gundu Rao’s case

On the other hand, BJP leader R Ashok alleged that Congress workers were the first to go and sit at the Jayanagar counting centre. “Tejaswi Surya had said that we should not be going to the counting centre. But Ramalinga Reddy and his supporters were already there. We went and sent them all out. Then they brought in more people and started behaving like rowdies,” he alleged.

He pointed out that Rao had also won by a narrow margin in Gandhinagar. “Have we not accepted it? They (Congress leaders) are just accusing, abusing, and making a noise,” said Ashok.

Rao defeated BJP’s Saptagiri Gowda by only 105 votes. The BJP had sought a recounting of votes, especially the “rejected postal ballots,” just as they did in Jayanagar. However, Rao had already got the winner’s certificate. Hence, the demand fizzled out.

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“By the rule book”

However, an official at the Chief Electoral Officer’s office explained that the issue was not about the certificate. “Recounting can be done on the discretionary powers given to the electoral officer based on the merits of the demand. The certificate is only for declaring a candidate’s win,” he said.

Ashok said the electoral rule book mentions in detail which votes should be considered and which should not. “The two election officers acted accordingly. They also told us in front of Ramalinga Reddy what the rules are,” he said.

Due to the entire confusion over the recounting process, the result was not announced until late in the night. Votes were counted three times. Finally, District Election Officer Tushar Girinath went to the Jayanagar counting centre, reviewed the steps taken by the officials during the recounting, and decided that Ramamurthy had won the seat.