Battle royale: Siddaramaiah and scion of erstwhile Mysuru royal family to lock horns

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah hasn't entered the electoral contest here but the battle for Mysuru Lok Sabha seat is certainly seen as one between him and scion of the erstwhile royal family.

For four days from March 24, Siddaramaiah camped in Mysuru -- his home district -- personally overseeing the poll preparations of the Congress ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

Springing a surprise, the BJP fielded the scion of the erstwhile Mysuru royal family Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, replacing the MP Pratap Simha.

‘Common man versus Raja (king)’

Congress Karnataka unit spokesperson M Lakshmana is the party candidate here with some leaders in the outfit projecting the electoral contest as ‘Common man versus Raja (king)’.

Siddaramaiah held several rounds of meetings with the party office-bearers in various Assembly constituencies under the Mysore Lok Sabha segment and issued several instructions to them.

"The pressure on Siddaramaiah is quite palpable as he has to demonstrate his hold among masses in the upcoming Lok Sabha constituency in Karnataka and more so in Mysuru," a political analyst said.

Siddaramaiah represents Varuna in Mysuru district in the legislative assembly.

Battle of Mysuru

The ‘Battle of Mysore’ isn’t an easy one -- it’s a ‘battle royale’ where the stakes are high for the CM as well as the Mysuru royal family.

True to his "majestic position", the well-mannered, US-educated Wadiyar has gone about campaigning in a dignified way earning respect from his ‘subjects’, as the ‘Mysuru Maharajaru’ or the Maharaja of Mysuru.

Lakshmana is from Vokkaliga (farming) community, which dominates the Mysuru region. After his candidature was announced, he said the Congress has given a befitting reply to the BJP by giving ticket to him because the opposition party in the State often alleged that Siddaramaiah was anti-Vokkaliga.

Vokkaliga card

Lakshmana’s Vokkaliga card was aimed at subtly sending across a message to his community that the BJP denied ticket to Pratap Simha, a Vokkaliga, and preferred Wadiyar from erstwhile royal family.

On Congress’ slogan of ‘Common man versus Raja’, Wadiyar said in democratic India no one is king and everyone is equal in the eyes of law.

When reporters asked recently whether Mysore seat was a prestige issue for him, the Chief Minister said all the 28 Lok Sabha seats are a prestige issue for him.

Siddaramaiah going all out

However, sources close to him hint that Siddaramaiah is leaving no stone unturned and pulling out all stops in his home turf.

“It indeed is a prestige issue for him given the high stakes for him. It’s in a way like perform or perish for him,” a Congress insider told PTI.

According to him, during the recent meeting with the party office-bearers, the Chief Minister gave ‘clear instructions’ not to use any derogatory or defamatory language against Wadiyar as it can backfire on them.

The Mysore Lok Sabha constituency is spread over two districts of Mysuru and Kodagu. In the 2023 Assembly election, the Congress won five seats, JD(S) two and BJP one.

The BJP swept the 2019 Lok Sabha elections winning 25 out of 28 seats, while an independent backed by the party had also won.

The Congress and the JD(S), which fought together in an alliance, won one seat each.

This time, the JD(S), which has considerable vote base in the constituency, has forged an alliance with the BJP, a move that is likely to benefit Wadiyar in no small measure in his political debut.

(With agency inputs)