BANGALORE: Bangalore North was a strong Congress bastion in the past with minorities playing the decisive role. After the delimitation, the voter profile has changed drastically with Vokkaligas emerging as a major votebank followed by minorities and other communities.

Even after delimitation, minority votes will play a major role in ensuring victory of any candidate.

In the past, the Congress had lost only on two occasions when C Narayanaswamy (Janata Dal) won in 1996 and in 2004 when retired cop H T Sangliana (BJP) surprised the seasoned C K Jaffer Sharief. Both are unlikely to contest from Bangalore North and are lobbying for a Congress ticket from Bangalore Central which is dominated by minorities – Muslims and Christians.

A BJP stronghold since 1991, the constituency has lost its major votebank areas after the delimitation. The voter profile which earlier comprised an equal mix of both Vokkaligas and Brahmins is now dominated by Vokkaligas and other backward castes, while Brahmins still continue to be a formidable votebank.

Speculation of former chief minister S M Krishna contesting from here has given it a star status and if the Congress decides to field him, then it is likely to witness an intriguing contest between the Congress and the BJP.

The JD(S) is watching the developments before choosing its candidate. The party fielding a dummy candidate or a formidable one will be based on the Congress’ choice. Like other Bangalore Lok Sabha constituencies, infrastructure bottlenecks will be the major poll issue.

Of the seven Assembly seats, BJP holds four while the rest are with the Congress.