Recounting endorses BJP nominee Shantha's victory in 2009 parliament polls

BANGALORE: The recounting of votes on Saturday confirmed BJP nominee J Shantha's victory in the 2009 Bellary (reserved) Lok Sabha polls. The result remained unchanged in the recount with a victory margin of 2,243 votes.
Election workers meticulously recounted ballots cast in keenly fought contest between Shantha and Congress candidate and former chief justice of Orissa HC NY Hanumanthappa in the May 2009 election but the recount did nothing to change the outcome of the race.
Shanta (BJP) secured 4, 02,213 votes as against N Y Hanumanthappa (Cong) 3,99,970.
After verifying the integrity of storing and transporting the ballots, counters and tallyers sifted through precinct boxes, counted and then verified each ballot. At the end of the day, political newcomer Shantha's runoff victory was sealed.
The recounting of votes was taken up at the Supreme Court directive. Chandregowda of Bellary had filed a petition challenging Shanta's election accusing electoral malpractices by the authorities and the Karnataka high court had ordered for recount of votes. Supreme Court on June 11 had upheld the Karnataka HC order and directed the authorities to take up recount of votes.
''The outcome of the re-count will be intimated to the apex court,'' Bellary deputy commissioner Amlan Aditya Biswas said.
Nonetheless, Shantha's victory has given a moral boost to the newly formed Badavara, Shramikara, Raithara (BSR) Party, launched by her brother and former minister B Sreeramulu, who is going all out to make a mark in the upcoming assembly elections.
''It is victory for the truth,'' said a delighted Shanta.
Shantha, though elected from the BJP from the constituency, has identified herself with her brother's BSR Party after their mentor Gali Janardhana Reddy was jailed in the illegal mining scam late last year.
In the last one-year, Reddy's associates too suffered series of setbacks with one following another to Jail. Reddy's elder brother and Bellary city MLA Gali Somashekhar Reddy, Sreeramulu's 29-year-old nephew and MLA T H Suresh Babu were jailed a month ago in cash for bail scame.
With the bail scandal threatening to ensnare Sreeramulu now, Reddy supporters desperately wanted Shantha to pass this test so that she could take over the reigns of the new party if in case Sreeramulu is arrested in cash for bail scam.