Daijiworld Media Network – Bangalore (SP)

Bangalore, May 9: Postal ballots are normally ignored as inconsequential, as their number is meager, as compared to the regular votes, and while the margin of victory is in thousands, postal ballots are in hundreds in most of the constituencies.

However, this time, there were candidates whose victory was decided because of the postal ballots, and thereby changed the destiny of candidates who otherwise would have tasted defeat.

Initially, before the counting of postal ballots, the poll officials had said that Dr Annadani, candidate put up by JD(S) in Malavalli constituency of Mandya district, had become victorious. However, when the postal ballots were counted, Narendraswamy from the Congress had got 538 more votes as compared to Annadani. While Narendraswamy got 62,869 votes in total, Dr Annadani was relegated to the second spot with a tally of 61,331 votes.

Similar was the case in Hagaribommanahalli constituency in Bellary district. Here, JD(S) candidate, Bheema Naik LBP, was trailing the BJP candidate, K Nemiraja Naik. But, Bheema Naik got 125 additional votes in the form of postal ballots, and registered victory from the constituency. Naik also happens to be the candidate to win with least margin in this district.