BANGALORE, JUNE 14 In what appears to be a face saving measure, the Congress-JD(S) coalition government in Karnataka withdrew one of its candidates for the biennial elections to State Legislative Council, avoiding imminent defeat and paving the way for unanimous elections for the seven vacant seats to be elected by the Assembly. This has given a major moral boost to the Opposition BJP, which had fielded three candidates.

Janata Dal (Secular) candidate Z.A. Zameer Ahmed Khan, who unsuccessfully contested the Assembly elections from Jayanagar, withdrew his nomination on Monday, following an appeal by the CM N. Dharam Singh to the JD(S) leaders to reconsider their decision.