LS polls: BJP upbeat with Mysuru royal scion’s entry; Congress changes strategy

With the BJP fielding a scion of the erstwhile Mysuru royal family in the general elections in Karnataka, a worried Congress is poring over ways to counter the influence of the royalty in what will be a do-or-die battle.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has picked Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar for the Mysuru-Kodagu Lok Sabha constituency, dumping incumbent MP Pratap Simha.

This will be the first time in two decades that a member of the former royal family will contest from this constituency.

Wadiyar family

Hi great-uncle Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar lost the 2004 Lok Sabha elections to CH Vijayashankar of the BJP by 17,215 votes.

Though there was speculation that the BJP may give a ticket to Yaduveer Wadiyar, Simha was confident of getting a third chance to contest till the last minute.

But when that did not happen, his supporters took to the streets to make their dissent heard. Simha was more polite while hiding his obvious disappointment but few in the BJP are shedding tears for him.

Simha background

“He…questioned the credentials of a scion of Mysuru in mixing with the public. But the people of Mysuru and the party leadership understood what he meant,” remarked a BJP leader who is upset with Simha’s arrogant style.

Sources close to Simha said he was fielded in the 2014 polls after he was reportedly handpicked by Narendra Modi for writing editorial pieces in a Kannada daily in favour of the then Gujarat chief minister and authoring a book describing him as a mascot of Hindutva.

But the MP’s image was tarnished after it became known that he had issued a visitor pass for one of those involved in the smoke bomb episode in parliament in December last year.

RSS backing

Simha had issues with party strongman and former chief minister BS Yediyurappa. BJP sources say that despite having the blessings of Union minister Prahlad Joshi and others, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) helped Yaduveer Wadiyar to get the ticket.

Yaduveer Wadiyar’s father-in-law is from the Jodhpur royal family, which is close to the BJP top brass.

The Lok Sabha battle in Karnataka is crucial for the BJP, which won all but one seat in 2019 and which realises that with the Congress now ruling the state, winning every seat will be a challenge.

BJP happy

The Karnataka unit of the BJP also felt that Yaduveer’s presence would help the party not only in Mysuru but in other parts of Karnataka as well.

A BJP functionary told The Federal that during the reign of the 24th king of the Wadiyar family, Mysuru witnessed a golden era. Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar contributed to the overall development of Mysuru region.

Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV was a philosopher-king who heralded an important phase in the making of modern Mysore. During his reign, the kingdom of Mysore made several strides.

Campaigning for BJP

The scion of Mysuru, Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar, represented Mysuru in the Lok Sabha four times. “The BJP will make these things an election plank in old Mysuru region and try to cash in on the sympathy of the people,” said another BJP leader.

Yediyurappa added: “Besides Mysuru and Kodagu, Yaduveer Wadiyar will also campaign in other constituencies of the old Mysuru region.”

The change in candidature has forced the Congress, which was earlier confident of defeating Simha, to change its strategy.

Siddaramaiah strategy

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, under pressure from the party to win back Mysuru-Kodagu, Chamarajanagar, and Mandya, has brainstormed with party leaders and ministers from this region.

The Congress has reportedly shortlisted a Vokkaliga candidate for Mysuru-Kodagu. It is searching for candidates, including Suraj Hegde, a grandson of former chief minister Devaraj Urs, for the other places.

Hegde is vice-president of the Karnataka Congress and a member of the election screening committee for Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Goa as well as Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Congress reacts

The Congress is trying to poach BJP leader Kavish Gowda, son of former legislator Vasu. The strategy is to consolidate both AHINDA and Vokkaliga votes.

Meanwhile, Siddaramaiah has told officials to expedite the government’s legal fight in the Supreme Court to acquire the Bengaluru Palace and the surrounding spaces over which the Mysore royal family has laid claim.

Palace battle

The Bangalore-Palace (Acquisition and Transfer) Act 1996 was enacted by the Janata government in which Siddaramaiah was the finance minister.

The issue was in cold storage and came to the fore in 2015 during Siddaramaiah’s first term as the chief minister. He assured the Legislative Council that the government would expedite legal proceedings to take over the Palace Grounds.

That process is now happening as the BJP prepares to send Yaduveer Wadiyar to the Lok Sabha.