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India's Opposition BJP Party Wins Elections in Karnataka State By Jay Shankar May 25 (Bloomberg) -- The Bharatiya Janata Party, India's main federal opposition party, won state assembly elections in Karnataka, its first victory in the nation's south. The BJP won 110 seats in the 224-member assembly in counting that ended today following balloting on May 10, 16 and 22, the election commission said in a statement. The Congress party, which heads the ruling national coalition, lost with 80 seats in the state, which is home to units of Intel Corp., General Electric Co. and International Business Machines Corp. ``The BJP has got a simple majority, and it remains to be seen if they are able to form a very stable government,'' Kalim Bahadur, former professor of South Asian Studies at the New Delhi-based Jawaharlal Nehru University said in a phone interview. The elections were a test for the ruling national coalition, which faces a general election before its term ends in May 2009. The Congress party lost five of seven state polls last year because of rising consumer prices. This is the fourth regional defeat for the Congress party this year. India's inflation rate has accelerated to a 3 1/2-year high, and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government is seeking ways to curb the effect of crude oil prices that have doubled in a year. Karnataka has been under federal rule since Nov. 20. Three chief ministers have ruled Karnataka since the last elections in May 2004, in which no party won a clear majority. `Energize the Cadre' The BJP ruled Karnataka for a week before losing the support of its coalition partner. B.S. Yeddyurappa of the BJP formed the government on Nov. 12 and resigned seven days later after the Janata Dal (Secular), or JD(S), withdrew support. The JD(S) became the third-largest group bagging 28 seats. Six seats were won by independent candidates. ``The Congress and JD(S) put together do not cross the halfway mark of 112,'' Bahadur said. ``The BJP has not got a perfect opening in the south. They needed a clear majority.'' The BJP, ruling in seven of 28 Indian states, until now has been identified as a party whose appeal was limited to the country's north, said spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad. ``With a victory in Karnataka, the BJP has today crossed that barrier. The result will undoubtedly energize the cadre for the national elections due next year.'' India's southern region comprises the states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. To contact the reporter on this story: Jay Shankar in Bangalore at [EMAIL PROTECTED]
