CM Siddaramaiah said the Congress will challenge the Sringeri recount outcome (File photo).

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah Tuesday accused the BJP of a “criminal conspiracy” to steal votes following a controversial recount in the Sringeri Assembly constituency . He said the Congress will legally challenge the returning officer’s (RO) decision to declare BJP’s D N Jeevaraj the winner.

The row erupted Sunday after 255 postal ballots previously polled for Congress’s T D Rajegowda were declared invalid during a court-ordered recount. This shift handed Jeevaraj a 52-vote lead, effectively erasing the 201-vote victory secured by the Congress in the 2023 Assembly elections.

Addressing a press conference, Siddaramaiah said he suspected that the postal ballots were tampered with long after the 2023 counting process was completed.…