The Hindu : Karnataka News : Independent candidates likely to play a decisive role in municipal elections

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Sep 28, 2007
ePaper

Karnataka

Karnataka

Independent candidates likely to play a decisive role in municipal elections

Staff Correspondent

19 Congress and 13 Janata Dal (S) rebel candidates are in the fray

The Bahujan Samaj Party has fielded
three candidates
The Bharatiya Janata Party is contesting
for 15 seats

Chitradurga: The fortunes of the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) in the elections to the Chitradurga City Municipal Council (CMC) are likely to depend on the large number of rebel candidates in the fray.

There are 38 independent candidates in the fray in the 35 wards of the CMC. They are likely to have a decisive say on which party will hold the reins of power in the urban local body, according to political observers here.

There are 19 Congress and 13 Janata Dal (S) rebel candidates contesting the elections who may take away a large chunk of votes from the two parties.

Both the parties have fielded candidates in all the 35 wards, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is contesting 15 seats.

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has fielded three candidates and the Samajwadi Party one.

Unlike in the last elections, the road to victory seems to be thorny for the Congress, as many of its workers have chosen to fight as independent candidates after they were denied the party ticket.

The other stumbling block for the Congress is the emergence of the Janata Dal (S) as a strong contender in the polls. In the last Legislative Assembly elections, the Congress won by a narrow margin against the Janata Dal (S).

This trend is expected to continue in the CMC elections too.

The third factor that is likely to affect the Congress is the people’s dissatisfaction with the poor state of civic amenities.

Many people feel that the Congress did not do much to provide better infrastructure.

The Janata Dal (S) is highlighting the achievements of the coalition government headed by it, but this may not be enough to win the polls.

Analysts believe that since the issues in local elections are very different from those that figure in elections to the Assembly, the Government’s achievements might not have much of an effect on local voters.

Both the Congress and the Janata Dal (S) have given tickets to many new candidates. As far as the BJP is concerned, the party is still struggling to form a base here. Despite making several efforts, the party does not seem to have made much of an impact in the district.

The absence of strong local leaders is also a significant reason for the BJP losing political ground here.

Nothing much is expected from the BSP and the SP since they are contesting the local body elections for the first time.

Looking at the emerging picture, it appears that voters may give a fractured verdict with no party enjoying absolute majority.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Karnataka

News Update

Stories in this Section