India's ruling Congress party, appeared headed for a much-needed victory Wednesday in elections in a key southern state. The party appears likely to wrest power from the nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Karnataka. The voting was being watched as a possible bellwether for next year's national elections, according to a report of the Associated Press. The election commission said the Congress party had won or was leading in 122 of the state's 224 constituencies as of Wednesday afternoon. The BJP had won or was leading in only 39 constituencies, with the rest going to other parties. Salman Khurshid, a top Congress leader and India's external affairs minister, said the outcome "has given us a great shot in the arm." Karnataka's capital, Bangalore, is the country's information technology hub.
