The first phase of election in 89 assembly segments, covering 11 districts, mainly in old Mysore region, has the highest number of 941 candidates, while 592 are in the fray for the second leg in 66 constituencies in 10 districts and 711 from eight districts spread over 69 segments.
The number of contestants this time has risen about 30 per cent over the last time. The number has crossed the 2,200 mark compared to 1,715 who tested their electoral luck in the 2004 assembly election.
It would be a record of sorts for veteran Congress leader and former chief minister N Dharam Singh who is bidding for ninth successive victory in his stronghold Jewargi. Singh, who led the first ever coalition government of Congress along with JD(S), was initially reluctant to take a plunge into the electoral arena, but changed his mind.
His long time associate in the party and a close friend, KPCC President M Mallikarjun Kharge is also set to seek people's mandate for a ninth consecutive win, albeit from another constituency.
Kharge who held the Gurumitkal Reserved constituency in Gulbarga district is now contesting from Chitapur reserved seat after his earlier constituency became General in the delimitation process. Former minister R V Deshpande is seeking re-election from Haliyal in Uttar Kannada district, for the seventh successive term.
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Following the merger of some of the areas into other constituencies or change in their character from reserved to general and vice-versa by the Delimitation of Constituencies Commission, several leaders either lost their traditional territory or their constituencies vanished from the map.
Among those heavyweights whose constituencies have been restructured include former Home minister M P Prakash. His Hoovina Hadagali constituency in Bellary district has virtually vanished from the electoral map.
Prakash, a respected leader of the lingayat community and an erstwhile JD(S) front ranking leader, is now contesting from Harappanahalli segment from neighbouring Davanagere district.
Congress young Turk and former minister D K Shivakumar's Sathanur constituency, which he won four times was merged with Kanakapura assembly segment and the leader is in the fray from here this time.
Former minister P G R Sindhia, who held the Kanakapura assembly constituency for six terms, however has chosen not to contest this election.
Sindhia, one of the leading leaders in JDS, quit the H D Deve Gowda outfit and joined the BSP. CWC member and former minister G Parameshwara, who lost his Madhugiri reserved constituency after it became general, is seeking re-election from Koratagere, whose character was altered from General to Reserved.
JDS leader C Chennigappa, who represented Koratagere segment, has now shifted to Doddaballpur and his son C Gourishankar is contesting from Madhugiri.
In the delimitation process, 22 constituencies vanished and 52 new ones came into existence, which included 12 in Bangalore city alone. The number of assembly segments in Bangalore City rose to 28 from 16.
Others to shift their constituency are former deputy Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who moved over to the newly carved Varuna in Mysore from Chamundeshwari, former minister and BJP leader Katta Subramanya Naidu from Shivajingar to Hebbal and former minister Congress leader H M Revanna from Magadi to Hebbal.