Karnataka faces crucial election

By Alistair Scrutton

BANGALORE, India (Reuters) - In a dustbowl of a rally in South Asia's "Silicon Valley", India's most powerful politician struggled this week to inject life into a state election campaign that may influence the national government's chances of re-election.

The unrelenting heat and dust had taken its toll on tired spectators with newspapers shielding heads from the sun. Few clapped at the end of Sonia Gandhi's speech about keeping the state capital Bangalore as an IT hub.

Most just dashed for the exit.

"Please explain to us what she said," said Ashwini, a young computer student. Like many in Karnataka which has its own language, she did not understand a word of Gandhi's speech in Hindi, dominant in the north of the country.

The crowd's wilting enthusiasm and the weak communication skills of Gandhi symbolised the troubles of the Congress party and its ruling coalition in India.

Millions will vote in the election, held in three stages this month from May 10. It will be the first major state election this year and a barometer of support for India's two main parties, Congress and the Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), before general elections due by early 2009.

The state vote, in which Congress is trying to beat the BJP and a smaller regional party Janata Dal (S), could influence the timing of a general election and give the winner crucial political momentum in the run-up to the national vote.

In a state where coalition squabbling has hampered policymaking for the past four years, a clear victory for any party could also give impetus to infrastructure reforms, from power to public transport.