Bengaluru/IBNS: The Bengaluru Rural constituency has suddenly gained traction with a fierce contest between the ruling parties of the state and country, Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) respectively.

Congress has put up 58-year-old three-time MP DK Suresh, the brother of Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar.

To take on the might of the DK brothers, the BJP fielded Dr. CN Manjunath (66).

Dr. Manjunath, a cardiologist, is also the son-in-law of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda.

Both the parties are at each other's votes as the constituency comprises a voter base catering to both the IT sector and Agriculture.

Bengaluru Rural Lok Sabha constituency, which is one of 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka, includes eight assembly segments- Kanakapura, Ramanagara, Channapatna, Magadi, Sathanur, Uttarahalli, Malavalli and Anekal.

The DK brothers also consider Ramanagara as their own forte.

In 2019, Suresh was the lone Congress candidate to win a Lok Sabha seat from the state, which was swept by the BJP riding on Modi wave.

As per a report by Deccan Herald, Manjunath has been projected by the cadres of BJP and its ally Janata Dal Secular (JDS) as the next Union Health Minister.

The Bengaluru Rural constituency is presumed as a stronghold of Vokkaligas. Important to note, both the candidates- Suresh and Dr. Manjunath hail from the Vokkaliga community.