Karnataka Lok Sabha polls: Will Yaduveer replace Pratap Simmha as BJP candidate in Mysuru?

Speculation is rife in political circles in Mysuru over the BJP leadership preferring scion of the erstwhile royal family of Mysuru Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar over sitting MP Pratap Simmha as its candidate to contest from Mysuru Lok Sabha constituency in the coming elections.

Speculation is rife in political circles in Mysuru over the BJP leadership preferring scion of the erstwhile royal family of Mysuru Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar over sitting MP Pratap Simmha as its candidate to contest from Mysuru Lok Sabha constituency in the coming elections.

Mr. Simmha has been summoned by the BJP’s election in charge for Karnataka, Radha Mohan Das Agarwal, to Bengaluru on Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters after attending a meeting of the Mysuru Lok Sabha constituency’s Election Management Committee of BJP on Monday, Mr. Simmha expressed confidence of the party giving him ticket based on his work for the last 10 years, but also added that he would welcome the party’s choice if Mr. Yaduveer is preferred as candidate.

Even though he said he would remain committed to the BJP if he was denied ticket, Mr. Simmha listed out a series of disputes between the royal family and the government and hoped that royal family will withdraw cases it had filed in the court if its scion becomes a representative of the people.

Mr. Simmha’s reaction on Tuesday came after he turned emotional during a Facebook live programme on Monday recalling his career as a journalist and his contribution as an MP.

Meanwhile, the BJP leaders in Mysuru convened a press conference on Tuesday and appealed to the party workers against airing their opinion on the speculation publicly. “Our candidate will be decided by the party leadership. We will have to work for whoever the party leadership chooses,” said Mysuru city BJP president and former MLA L. Nagendra.

While BJP MLA Srivatsa appealed to Mr. Simmha not to get emotional, former BJP MLA S.A. Ramdas sought to emphasise the need for people of Mysuru to keep in mind the contribution of the erstwhile Maharajas of Mysore.