Bengaluru: The Congress party and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have replaced their nominees in the ensuing Lok Sabha election in Mysuru-Kodagu seat. While, BJP replaced its two time MP Pratap Simha with scion of erstwhile Mysore royal family Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar and the Congress party as fielded its spokesperson M. Lakshman as its nominee in place of former Member of Parliament C.H. Vijayashankar who contested the 2019 election.
Mysuru-Kodagu seat holds prominence for both the parties since Mysuru is the hometown of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah who represents Varuna Assembly seat.
On Wednesday, the scion of erstwhile Mysore Royal family Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar as Bharatiya Janata Party-Janata Dal Secular consensus nominee and M. Lakshman, nominee of the Congress party filed their papers in Mysuru city. Yaduveer is new to electoral politics but Lakshman has unsuccessfully contested Legislative Council and Assembly election as a Congress nominee.
In Mysuru-Kodagu parliamentary seat, it has been a direct fight between the Congress and BJP nominees in 2009, 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha election in Mysuru seat. While, BJP won 2014 and 2019, the Congress party won in 2009.
Yaduveer is new to electoral politics but his father late Srikanta Datta Narasimharaja Wadiyar had represented Mysuru Lok Sabha seat winning 1984, 1989, 1996 and 1999 elections as a Congress nominee.
He lost parliamentary election from Mysuru seat as a BJP nominee in 1991 election and then Congress nominee Chandraprabha Urs had won the seat. Srikanta Datta Narasimharaja Wadiyar contested 2004 Lok Sabha election on Congress ticket and finished third in the fray while BJP nominee C.H. Vijayashankar won the seat.
To regain its lost seat, the Congress party fielded Lakshman, belonging to politically dominant Vokkaliga caste and Vokkalias form the major chunk of votes in the seat. It is said that Vokkaliga votes played a decisive role in the victory of Pratap Simha, BJP nominee in 2014 and 2019 elections.
Lakshman, Congress nominee, sought the support of Vokkaliga community in the ensuing Lok Sabha polls and reminded the voters that a Vokkaliga candidate has been fielded in Mysuru-Kodagu Lok Sabha seat by Congress party after a gap of 47 years. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah stated that Lakshman is a Vokkaliga by birth and grew to be a ‘Vishwa Manava’ (Universal Man).
After Pratap Simha was replaced by Yaduveer, members of Vokkaliga community protested against the change in candidate in Mysuru-Kodagu seat and demanded that a Vokkaliga candidate be fielded in Mysuru-Kodagu seat.
Congress nominee Lakshman stated that Yaduveer being a member of royal family was unwilling to contest the Lok Sabha election and he has been forced to contest in Mysuru-Kodagu seat. But, Yaduveer said that he is in the fray as per the wishes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and voters both Mysuru and Kodagu have been backing his candidature.
