BENGALURU: Whether it is Modi, Gandhi or Deve Gowda, all parties are looking at equations keeping their top leaders in mind. The BJP is banking on a Modi wave again, while Deve Gowda hopes for a spot on the national stage. The Congress wants to push Rahul Gandhi for PM
What does the future hold?
D V Sadananda Gowda
Seat: Bangalore North
Party: BJP
Contesting from Bangalore North for the second time. DV Sadananda Gowda is not a local Gowda but hails from Dakshin Kannada. He faces a stiff challenge from a `local Gowda,’ --Krishna Byre Gowda who is RDPR minister in Karnataka and MLA from one of the 8 assembly segments which lie in this constituency
PC Mohan
Seat: Bangalore Central
Party: BJP
BJP MP Bangalore Central faces some anti-incumbency having represented this parliamentary segment twice already. People have complained that he is not to be seen after elections. Faces a stiff challenge from Congress’ Rizwan Arshad, the same candidate against whom he won by over 1.3 lakh votes in 2014
Mallikarjun Kharge
Seat: Gulbarga
Party: INC
For the veteran politician who has won nine times as MLA and twice as MP, his third Lok Sabha poll seems to be a hard nut to crack. Not anti-incumbency, it is the joint might of former Congressmen like Baburao Chinchansur, Malakareddy, Malikayya Guttedar and Dr Umesh Jadhav- the BJP’s candidate, that poses a threat to Kharge
Veerappa Moily
Seat: Chikkaballapur
Party: INC
The former Chief Minister of Karnataka is on unsteady ground in a seat that has a huge Vokkaliga population considering his opponent is BJP’s Bachchegowda. Moily benefited from a three-way split in votes in 2014 but this time with the JD(S) not fielding a candidate, the straight fight is believed to be a tough one
KH Muniyappa
Seat: Kolar
Party: INC
The veteran Congress leader has to deal with alleged attempts of internal sabotage in his Lok Sabha constituency apart from anti-incumbency. The divided Congress camps in the seat are the biggest challenge for the man with community backing. Bickering over his daughter getting an MLA ticket is expected to dent his prospects
HD DEVE GOWDA
Seat: Tumkur
Party: JDS
The former Prime Minister gave up his constituency Hassan for his grandson Prajwal Revanna and hopes for a national role to play. Unlike Hassan, Gowda faced a tough contest in Tumkur. While Congress leaders, including G Parameshwara have worked for Gowda, there was resistance from local leaders upset with the decision to cede the seat
SUMALATHA AMBAREESH
Seat: Mandya
Independent
candidate backed by BJP
While
Sumalatha
seems to have the support of the BJP and disgruntled Congress leaders at the local level, Chief Minister’s son Nikhil is banking on the party’s strong organizational strength. In 2018, the JDS had won all eight assembly segments
in the constituency. A tight
contest is on the cards