ULB polls: Cong leads leaving BJP, JD(S) behind

The BJP’s emphatic Lok Sabha victory appears to have had little impact on Karnataka’s urban local body (ULB) elections, as the saffron party is trailing behind the Congress even as the poll results are coming out Friday morning.

As many as 63 ULBs - eight city municipal councils, 33 town municipal councils and 22 town panchayats - comprising 1,361 wards went to polls on May 29.

Counting of votes is still underway, but the Congress has won over 350 seats, whereas the BJP is second having won over 280 and the JD(S) is a distant third with 91, according to the State Election Commission.

ULB elections are generally considered as a barometre to measure the mood of the electorate.

Last year, when 105 ULBs went to polls, the Congress won 982, the BJP 929 and the JD(S) 375. Independent candidates won in 329 wards.

The BJP is ahead of the Congress when it comes to Town Panchayats, having won 104 out of the 330 seats already, with the Congress trailing at 81 seats. In Town Municipalities and City Municipalities, the Congress is ahead.

Like last year, the Congress did not forge a pre-poll alliance with the JD(S) even as both parties rule the state in a coalition. However, the party asked its leaders to have an understanding at the local level if needed.

These early results indicate how the voting pattern changes with elections at different levels. In the Lok Sabha polls, the BJP swept Karnataka by winning 25 out of the 28 seats, whereas the Congress bagged just one.