Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is confronting a difficult challenge from BJP's Lingayat heavyweight, V Somanna, in Varuna assembly constituency, where around 40% of the voters are Lingayats, a traditional BJP vote bank. The presence of SC leader Bharathi Shankar, a former BJP MLA, in the race on JD(S) ticket, and BSP State President M Krishnamurthy adds an intriguing element to the election. SC voters and voters of sub-castes of OBCs hold the key to the race in this JDS bastion.
