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