Lok Sabha Election Result 2024: Prajwal Revanna likely to lose Hassan seat amid sexual abuse allegations

Suspended JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna appeared poised to lose the Hassan seat as the Election Commission tallied Lok Sabha votes on Tuesday. The Karnataka lawmaker was recently arrested over sexual abuse allegations and remains in police custody. Data shared by the Election Commission at 1:15 pm indicates that the sitting MP is trailing Congress candidate Shreyas M Patel by a margin of 35,305 votes. 

Revanna — the 33-year-old grandson of JD(S) patriarch and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda — has been accused of sexually abusing several women. The incident had made waves ahead of the Lok Sabha polls with several explicit videos of his alleged actions going viral in Karnataka. While he retained the NDA poll ticket, the JD(S) had suspended him as the case gained prominence. 

The sitting MP was arrested in the early hours of Friday (May 31) by a Special Investigation Team — mere minutes after his flight from Germany landed in Bengaluru. He had left the country on April 27. A special court in the city has remanded him to police custody till June 6.

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The Congress had previously urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to break his silence on the matter following the JD(S) candidate's arrest. The Ministry of External Affairs had also served a show-cause notice to the politician, asking him why his diplomatic passport should not be cancelled as sought by the Karnataka government in view of the sexual-abuse charges against him.

Revanna has so far been booked in three cases of sexual assault. There are also charges of rape against him. JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda had earlier reiterated that his grandson should be given the harshest punishment under the law "if found guilty".

(With inputs from agencies)