Yaduveer was also invited by Congress to the LS elections

Although there are rumors circulating that Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, the scion of the former Mysuru royal dynasty, is running for office in the Lok Sabha on a BJP ticket in the Mysuru-Kodagu seat, the Congress has reportedly invited him to run as the party’s candidate.

Despite the likelihood that the Bharatiya Janata Party would field a fresh face from the Mysuru-Kodagu seat, the royal family has refrained from publicly stating whether Yaduveer will run in the election. It is now known that Congress, searching for a viable candidate, had contacted the young king, who has a broad appeal, about running on a party ticket.

According to well-placed sources, the offer was made a few weeks ago by the party leadership. They said, “Yaduveer and Rajmata Pramoda Devi Wadiyar have not yet replied.” Since Srikanatadatta Narashimaraja Wadiyar, the previous scion, ran for Congress four times and won, the party enjoys strong ties with the royal family. In 2009, AH Vishwanath, a former minister, won the Lok Sabha elections after he resigned his position.

Congressmen are optimistic that the royal family will not embark on an adventure by joining the BJP, as Srikanatadatta, who ran on a BJP ticket in 1991 and lost to Congress candidate Devaraj Urs’ daughter Chandraprabha Urs, did not switch allegiances to the party from Dalits, Muslims, and other marginalized groups.

Even before Srikantadatta passed away, the royal family avoided politics, but it nevertheless had close contacts with lawmakers from all political parties.

On Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first visit to Mysuru, the state BJP unit had made a strong attempt to persuade the royal family to reconsider when it forced a meeting between Yaduveer and Pramoda Devi.

A few years back, Modi visited the Yoga Day festivities in Mysuru and had breakfast with the royal family. In the lead-up to the Assembly elections last year, Union Home Minister Amit Shah also made a visit to them, giving the impression that the BJP is becoming more amiable toward the royal family.

The party allegedly made an additional attempt to reach Yaduveer via his father-in-law, the BJP politician from Rajasthan and former member of the Rajya Sabha, Harshavardhan Singh of the Dungarpur royal family.

Due to the strong emotional ties that residents of Mysuru, Mandya, Chamarajanagar, and Hassan have to the royal family, BJP officials think that fielding Yaduveer will benefit these communities. They believe Yaduveer may strengthen the party’s position in the Mysuru area, which is thought to be a Congress bastion, by drawing in young people and educated masses.