Siddaramaiah faces tough test in Varuna, Ahinda vote holds key to his victory

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Key Points

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..

Near the Mysuru airport along the Bengaluru-Ooty highway lies Varuna assembly constituency, comprising mostly villages, where former chief minister Siddaramaiah is entangled in a tough contest with BJP's Lingayat heavyweight candidate V Somanna...

BJP workers in the constituency, who are countering questions of Somanna being an outsider and contesting from two constituencies, feel that the recent road show of Amit Shah and former Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, will work in their favour..

Workers of both parties and locals feel SC voters, along with voters of other sub-castes of OBCs, hold the key in this keenly-watched contest and how the election shapes after Siddaramaiah himself enters the campaign scene and how much he holds on to his Ahinda -- a Kannada acronym for minorities, Dalits and backward classes -- votes...

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