The Karnataka High Court on Thursday disqualified Gowri Shankar, a Janata Dal (JD) MLA from Tumkur district. However, the Court quickly stayed the judgement for a month due to the State Assembly elections.
Shankar’s disqualification was a major setback for the JD(S), as he is the party’s most effective MLA in Tumkur district. With the Karnataka Assembly elections approaching, the JD(S) needs every victory it can get as the BJP hovers over the state.
He was disqualified as a case was registered against him, alleged of distributing 16,000 forged policy insurance bonds to individuals over the age of 32. According to the complaint filed against Gowri Shankar, he disseminated the forged bonds in order to solicit votes for the 2018 Karnataka Assembly elections.
Gowri Shankar was elected to the Karnataka Assembly from Tumkur district by a margin of 5640 votes in 2018. He had previously run for and won the Mudhugiri Assembly seat in 2008.
The Karnataka Assembly election will be conducted on May 10, according to the Election Commission of India, and the results will be announced on May 13.
