Five Heavyweight Vokkaliga Leaders Contesting Karnataka Assembly Polls

D.K Shivakumar

D.K. Shivakumar, a seven-time MLA and the chief of the Congress party in Karnataka. Hailing from a modest agrarian Vokkaliga family, Shivakumar will contest from Kanakpura. The Congress heavyweight has represented this seat since 2008, winning it three times in a row.

HD Kumaraswamy

Two-time Karnataka CM and son of former Prime Minister HD Devegowda. He belongs to the Vokkaliga community, which dominates South Karnataka. Kumaraswamy is facing stiff competition from BJP's C.P Yogeshwara from the Channapatna constituency.

R Ashoka

Senior Minister Ashoka is seen as BJP's prominent Vokkaliga face, the community to which Shivakumar also belongs. Incidentally, Kanakapura is one of the constituencies where the BJP had token presence so far. Ashoka will also seek reelection from Padmanabhanagar in Bengaluru.

HD Revanna 

HD Revanna is a top leader of Janata Dal (Secular) and son of ex-PM HD Deve Gowda. He will run for his party from Holenarsipura in the Karnataka polls on May 10. He has been in politics since 1994 and has won and lost the same seat. He was a minister under his brother HD Kumaraswamy’s government in 2004.

 GT Devegowda

A Vokkaliga strongman, JD(S) leader GT Devegowda emerged as a giant killer in the 2018 election when he defeated sitting chief minister Siddaramaiah by a huge margin from Chamundeshwari. The assembly seat, which is a traditional battleground of the Congress and JDS, is set for a triangular battle for the first time.