Former BJP minister Katta Subramanya Naidu who won from Shivajinagar constituency twice and former Congress minister H M Revanna, who won twice from Magadi are contesting in Hebbal.

Revanna had to move heaven and earth to get Congress ticket. First he demanded ticket for Govindarajanagar. The party asked him to contest form Hebbal. The JD(S) has fielded local candidate Lokesh Gowda. Son of former chief minister S R Bommai is contesting on a JD(U) ticket.

Hebbal is a new constituency that took shape after the delimitation. Parts of then Jayamahal and Yelahanka constituencies have been merged. It is a blend of middle class and upper middle class localities and slums. The Congress has strong base here. 

Katta is at ease as he draws crowds in decent numbers during his padayatras. If he can turn all that into votes, then he will be back in the Legislative Assembly. Katta is banking on Telugu speaking community with 35,000 votes in Chowdaiah Block, besides Brahmins, Jains and North Indians.

But there are traditional Congress pockets such as Sanjay Nagar and J C Nagar wards. The caste/community composition of the constituency with more than 20,000 Muslims, 12,000 Christians, 15,000 Vokkaligas and around 20,000 Dalits also implies that the BJP just can’t take things for granted.

Revanna is banking on the traditional votes of the Congress party. He banks on his Kuruba community votes apart from other backward and minority communities’ votes.

Though Katta is an outsider to the constituency, he is not as alien as the Congress candidate for voters of Hebbal. Katta has won twice from Shivajinagar. He, despite being BJP man, knows the art of winning minority votes.

While Revanna is struggling hard to familiarise himself with voters, JD(S) candidate Lokesh Gowda is banking on Vokkaliga votes.