Bellary:
Iron rich Bellary in Karnataka was the scene of the famous electoral contest between Sonia Gandhi and Sushma Swaraj in 1999. Mrs Gandhi won that round, but after that, the seat was acquired by the BJP. In this election, B Sriramulu, who returned recently to the BJP, takes on a retired chief justice, the Congress' NY Hanumanthappa. However, Mr Sriramulu will be contesting without the blessing of his former mentor, senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj.
A few years ago Mr Sriramulu filing his nomination papers to contest from Bellary on a BJP ticket would not have raised any eyebrows.
But now close associate, Janardhan Reddy, a millionaire iron-ore mining baron who ruled what was known as the Republic of Bellary, is in jail. Mr Reddy faces corruption charges in connection with illegal mining - and no longer rules the region. Mr Sriramulu left the BJP to form the BSR Congress - but now he is back.
"There is no awkwardness in campaigning for the BJP. I have returned to my original party," Mr Sriramulu told NDTV.
His return to the party - and his being given the ticket to contest from this reserved seat - is without the blessings of the woman who was earlier his political mentor and
one he calls like his mother - Sushma Swaraj. She did not want him back. But the wishes of the state unit prevailed in this case - as it did with former chief minister BS Yeddyurappa. (
Read: Controversial politician Sriramulu named BJP candidate despite Sushma Swaraj's opposition)
Mr Sriramulu said, "I am where I am because of Sushma Swaraj's blessings. And with her blessings, I will win this time."
Bellary was a Congress bastion from Independence until the Reddys joined forces with the BJP. The sitting BJP MP, J Shantha, is Mr Sriramulu's sister. The Congress, which wants Bellary back, has fielded NY Hanumanthappa, a retired judge who worked in the high courts of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh and was Chief Justice of Odisha.
Mr Hanumanthappa told NDTV that he was sure the people of Bellary wanted a change and that he was confident of victory.
Some years ago, when the Reddy brothers and Mr Sriramulu were riding high and dictating terms as ministers in the BJP government in Karnataka, it looked as if things would never change. The association with the powerful Janardhan Reddy was a boon to Mr Sriramulu. But now it has cost him his political mentor, Mrs Swaraj. He will find out soon enough if he can win Bellary without her.