Leaders and rivals: These Ottawa ridings are ones to watch [Video]

Political watchers in the capital will have their eyes fixed on ridings with high-profile candidates, old rivals and at least the possibility of a dramatic turn.

Two main party leaders are vying for side-by-side Ottawa seats this election, a manifestation of the mix of federal and local politics to which people who live in the region are well accustomed.

Yaroslav Baran, co-founder of Pendulum Group and a former Conservative Party communications lead, calls the local ridings both “interesting and boring.”

“Unlike many other parts of the country, we’ve got a high concentration of notable incumbents running,” he said. “It’s also not a very volatile electoral theatre. In most cases, if not all, we should probably be expecting incumbents to be winning.”

While few expect major upsets, strategists are interested to see how votes shake out in Carleton, Ottawa Centre, and Kanata.