With both the two front ranking leaders of the party in the state aspiring for chief ministership the district has become a major power centre. Dharam Singh who had his tumultuous and volatile 20 month innings while heading the coalition government with with the JD (S) wishes to thrive again on political instability in the event of an hung outcome.

Dharam Singh who is seeking entry into the Vidhana Soudha for the ninth consecutive time from a single constituency Jewargi is being perceived as the best bet to head a coalition government if the occasion demands.

Singh has been getting elected to the assembly with thin margins from the last couple of elections and is confident of repeating the same this time. There are already thick rumours of a clandestine understanding between Singh and JD (S) supremo H D Deve Gowda and as a result there is no formidable JD (S) rival in the fray in Jewargi. He is pitted against Doddappagouda Patil of BJP.

Mallikarjun Kharge who believes himself to be the natural choice for the leadership in the event of Congress getting a majority of its own is leaving no stone unturned to sail though comfortably from his new constituency Chittapur (SC).

Kharge who apparently  wants to play very safe has not ventured in to the risk of contesting again from Gurmathkal which has been made a general constituency. Despite severe internal feud within Congress Kharge appears to be sitting pretty because of the SC-OBC dominant constituency.

There are as many as 11 former ministers including Kharge and Dharam Singh besides a former deputy chairman of the state legislative council in the fray for 13 assembly seats in the district. 

Out of the 11 former ministers, eight belong to Congress. Sharanabasappa Darshanapur of JD (S) who has crossed over to Congress is an addition to the list of former ministers of the party. Two former ministers in the fray belong to to JD (S) and one to BJP.

Former ministers

Former ministers who are in the fray are: Malikayya Guttedar (Afzalpur), Dr A B Malak Reddy (Yadgir), Quamarul Islam (Gulbarga Uttar), Baburao Chinchanshur (Gurmathkal), and Baburao Chavan (Chincholi SC).

The two former ministers seeking election on JD (S) tickets are S K Kantha from Gulbarga Dakshin and C Gurunath from Gulbarga Rural (SC). Incidentally Gulbarga Rural (SC) is the only constituency in which two former ministers have locked horns. Gurunath is facing the formidable Revunayak Bilamagi of BJP.

Former legislative council deputy chairman B R Patil is seeking election from Aland for the third time on a Congress ticket.

Patil is sweating out a triangular fight with former MP Dr B G Jawali of BJP and former MLA Subhash Guttedar of JD (S).