The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the 2023 election of Congress leader K.Y. Nanjegowda from the Malur Assembly constituency in Karnataka, setting aside a Karnataka High Court order that had invalidated his win.

A Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi ruled that Nanjegowda remained the winner even after a court-ordered recount of votes. As a result, the Court restored his election and confirmed that he would continue as the Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Malur.

Allowing Nanjegowda’s appeal, the Court said the High Court’s decision setting aside his election stood quashed. It also directed that the recount report submitted to the Court in a sealed cover would remain intact in accordance with the rules.

The dispute stemmed from an election petition filed before the Karnataka High Court by BJP candidate K.S. Manjunath Gowda, who had contested the 2023 Assembly elections from the same constituency. Gowda had alleged multiple irregularities in the counting process, including wrongful counting of votes, obtaining signatures of counting agents before EVMs were opened, and permitting unauthorised persons inside the counting hall.

Accepting these allegations, the High Court in September 2025 had set aside Nanjegowda’s election, ordered a recount of votes within four weeks, and directed action against an election official for failing to preserve video recordings of the election process.

Challenging the High Court’s decision, Nanjegowda approached the Supreme Court. In October 2025, the apex court stayed the High Court order but allowed the recount to proceed, directing the Election Commission of India to submit the recount results in a sealed cover.

After examining the report, the Supreme Court on Thursday concluded that the outcome of the election remained unchanged and restored Nanjegowda’s election