Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka High Court has directed to re-verify the 279 rejected postal ballots polled in Sringeri Assembly constituency during the 2023 election.

The court has also said that the Returning Officer (RO), depending on the outcome of the re-verification, will have to undertake recounting of the postal ballots and announce the results.

Justice R Nataraj on Monday passed this order, hearing the election petition filed by BJP's defeated candidate D N Jeevaraj, who challenged the election of Congress's T D Rajegowda, who won by 201 votes.

The court, however, has granted a stay for two weeks on this order, on the request from Rajegowda's advocate to enable him to challenge the same before the Supreme Court.

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New Delhi (PTI): Exit polls can neither be held nor disseminated from 7 am of April 9 till 6.30 pm of April 29 for the five assembly elections taking place this month, the Election Commission has said.

It has also cautioned that conducting or broadcasting exit polls in the period is violative of section 126A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 and is "punishable with imprisonment up to a period of two years, or with fine or both".

While Kerala, Assam and Puducherry going for assembly polls on April 9, the electoral exercise will be held in Tamil Nadu on April 23.

In West Bengal, state polls will be held on April 23 and 29.

While the 48 hour 'silence period' in Kerala and Puducherry will commence at 6 pm on Tuesday, it will kick in at 5 pm in Assam.

Silence period means end of campaigning 48 hours ahead of the end of voting hour in a particular constituency or the entire state.

Except door-to-door campaigning by a limited number of party workers or candidate, no other form of campaigning is allowed. But in a digital age, it is difficult to enforce.

Usually voting is held from 7 am to 6 pm. But the timing varies due to terrain and security situation.