Smaller parties, independents to the fore amid Cong’s slim lead

Data from the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) website shows seven candidates beyond the three major parties – the Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the JD(S) – leading in their seats. Five of them are independent candidates and one each belongs to the local Kalyana Rajya Pragathi Paksha (KRPP) and Sarvodaya Karnataka Paksha (SKP) parties, respectively. Of the independents, at least three (two of whom were candidates who split from the BJP after being denied tickets) are likely to support the Congress

With more than a third of the votes in Karnataka counted, the Congress’s 118-seat lead appears tenuous and underlines the importance of smaller parties and independent candidates in the final equation.

Congress leaders and workers celebrate at the party office in Bengaluru. (PTI)

Support from independents and other parties will also help the party avoid banking on the Janata Dal (Secular), with which it formed an eventually failed post-poll alliance in 2018.

The halfway mark in the 224-seat Karnataka election is 113.

Data from the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) website shows seven candidates beyond the three major parties – the Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the JD(S) – leading in their seats.

Five of them are independent candidates and one each belongs to the local Kalyana Rajya Pragathi Paksha (KRPP) and Sarvodaya Karnataka Paksha (SKP) parties, respectively.

Of the independents, at least three (two of whom were candidates who split from the BJP after being denied tickets) are likely to support the Congress.

In Afzalpur, the BJP rebel Nitin Guttedar leads Congress’s MY Patil. Similarly, the BJP rebel Hoodivijay Kumar leads from the Malur seat. However, to be sure, the contest on this seat is still extremely tight, with 25,730 votes for Kumar so far, marginally ahead of BJP candidate KS Manjunathagowda (24,752 votes).

In Gauribidanur, independent candidate KH Puttaswamy, a former Congress member, is well ahead of his rivals.Latha Mallikarjun finds herself ahead in Harpanahalli, though she has not announced whom she will support.

To be sure, most often, independents side with the party likely to form the government in the state.

Mining baron G Janardhan Reddy is leading from Gangawati while his wife Galli Aruna is trailing from Bellari City. Reddy has already announced his support for Congress leader Siddaramaiah and floated his own party (KRPP) before the elections.

In Melukote, Darshan Puttenkiah of Sarvodaya Karnataka Party, which is in alliance with the Congress, is leading. In Nippani, Uttam Patil of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is ahead of his rivals.