After 18 days of political turmoil, the southern Indian state of Karnataka's embattled coalition government has finally collapsed -- providing a potential opening for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to broaden its reach into the southern Indian peninsula. By July 6, 15 disgruntled state legislators had defected from the coalition, triggering a political crisis in Karnataka that ultimately led to the government's demise.
The loss of the defected legislators has brought the combined number of seats shared between the Indian National Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) parties below the amount required for a majority in Karnataka's state assembly -- thus placing the BJP in the strongest position to form the state's next government as it seeks to broaden its support base into southern India....
