Congress on slim lead in K'taka ULB polls

Bengaluru:  Congress has a slight lead in the race with BJP as as votes are being counted  for 105 urban local bodies in Karnataka. This is the first election after the JD(S)-Congress coalition government came to power.

Results have been declared for the 2,267 seats of the 2,664 seats. the Congress has won 846, the BJP wins 788 and the JD(S) has taken 307 seats. Independent candidates have won 277 seats. BJP has a lead in the three municipal corporations of Shimoga, Mysuru and Tumkur.

Though the ruling coalition parties did not contest the Urban Local Bodies (ULB) polls together, nonetheless they are expected to come together after the results if no party wins a majority. As BJP has a strong presence in urban bodies, if the two parties win more than half of the seats, they are likely to consider it a win.