Karnataka Elections

May 2008 | Risk Summary

The first stage of the Karnataka state elections began on May 10 in what has become a key gauge for the next national elections, due before May 2009. The election campaign was hard-fought, with the ruling Indian National Congress Party and the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seeking to outdo each other with pledges to alleviate the situation for Karnataka's poor, who are feeling the pinch from accelerating inflation. The BJP is trying to pin Congress down on its pledges to deliver 'inclusive growth' and has therefore made rising inflation a key feature of its campaign, a tactic which, if successful, could be rolled out on a national scale.

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