Bengaluru, June 17 -- With elections to the Karnataka Legislative Council scheduled for June 18, political tension has escalated across the state's three major parties, as the contest for the final seat has turned into a prestige battle for both the Congress and the JD(S).

A total of eight candidates are in the fray for seven vacant seats. The Congress has fielded five candidates, while the BJP-JD(S) alliance has nominated three candidates. As a result, the fate of the Congress' fifth candidate and the NDA's third candidate has become the focal point of intense political calculations.

Amid fears of cross-voting and last-minute political manoeuvring, both camps have moved their legislators to resorts. Congress leaders have already shifte...