On May 11, 2026, the Supreme Court of India provided interim relief to T.D. Raje Gowda, a Congress leader, by allowing him to continue serving as the Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for the Sringeri constituency in Karnataka. This decision follows a recount of postal ballots ordered by the High Court, which initially indicated a victory for D.N. Jeevaraj, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate. The Supreme Court, led by Justice Sanjay Kumar, ordered the status quo ante and issued a notice to Mr. Jeevaraj and other respondents, scheduling the case for further hearing on May 21. Raje Gowda's petition argued that he was the duly elected representative, having won by a margin of 201 votes despite 279 postal ballots being rejected. The petition criticized the Returning Officer's actions as exceeding the High Court's directive, which only allowed for the re-verification of the rejected ballots. The court's ruling emphasized the need to maintain the current status until the appeal is resolved, effectively putting any further actions by the Returning Officer on hold. The BJP maintains that the recount was conducted fairly, while the ruling Congress party has raised concerns about potential irregularities.