To vote for a change or not would be the key factor in Bangalore South Lok Sabha constituency as BJP sitting MP H N Ananth Kumar, eyeing a fifth straight win, and his main rival Karnataka Youth Congress chief Krishna Byre Gowda slug it out in the multi-cornered contest.
BJP heavyweight Ananth Kumar, winning the seat since 1996, also faces low-cost aviation pioneer and Air Deccan founder Capt K Gopinath, who is on a solo sortie contesting as an independent and educationist Prof K E Radhakrishnan of JDS.
Ananth Kumar, a Brahmin, who prior to delimitation had the ballots tilted in his favour owing to a higher number of electorate from his community, now has his position challenged with Congress springing a last-minute surprise by pitting three-time MLA Gowda (37), seen as a fresh Vokkaliga face in the constituency which has four lakh Vokkaliga voters.
Besides the caste factor, Gowda has his youth going in his favour apart from qualifications and the US-returned tag that could appeal to the dominant urban educated class.
JDS nominee Radhakrishnan, also a Brahmin, is an educationist with over four decades in the field. True to its cosmopolitan nature, the constituency has a Brahmin population of 3.5 lakh, second to 4.5 lakh Vokkaligas followed by two lakh Kuruba voters, two lakh Reddys, one lakh Muslims and two lakh Christians.
{{/usCountry}}JDS nominee Radhakrishnan, also a Brahmin, is an educationist with over four decades in the field. True to its cosmopolitan nature, the constituency has a Brahmin population of 3.5 lakh, second to 4.5 lakh Vokkaligas followed by two lakh Kuruba voters, two lakh Reddys, one lakh Muslims and two lakh Christians.
{{/usCountry}}Both Ananth Kumar and Gowda admit that the main battle will be between them in the April 23 polls.