Elections to the Lok Sabha: A Mysuru Royal is running after 20 years
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has made its Lok Sabha election candidates known, choosing newcomers for the Mysuru-Kodagu and Chamarajanagar seats in a calculated move. The party’s intention to maintain its control on these seats and develop new leaders in the area is shown by its decision to field fresh candidates.
The current Mysuru-Kodagu MP, Pratap Simha, was said to have been refused the ticket, leading to the candidacy of Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, a member of the former Mysuru Royal dynasty. After over 20 years, a member of the Mysuru Royal family is returning to politics with his candidacy. Many, including party leaders, perceive the decision as strategic, seeing it as a chance to win on Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s home ground.
Given the lack of involvement from the Wadiyar family since Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar’s four terms as a Mysuru MP running on the Congress platform and serving from 1999 to 2004, Yaduveer’s foray into politics is momentous. People’s hopes of seeing another young leader from the area emerge have been stoked by the return of one member of the royal family.
While Srikantadatta Wadiyar’s triumphant tenures as Congressman are well-remembered, the BJP is going above and above to secure Yaduveer’s win, even in the face of Simha’s early opposition. Party officials, however, seem to have calmed Simha. They tweeted their welcome to Yaduveer as soon as the ticket was revealed, along with the words, “Let’s plunge into campaigning to ensure the victory of Modi in the upcoming polls.”
In the meanwhile, the BJP has boldly eschewed familial politics in the race for the SC reserved seat of Chamarajanagar. The party’s choice to run former MLA S Balaraj in place of V Srinivas Prasad’s son-in-laws, Harshavardhan and Dr. Mohan, marks a break from traditional political tactics. The fact that Balaraj switched from the Congress to the BJP highlights the party’s attempts to strengthen its support in the area.
