Mysuru: Finally announcing his return to electoral politics, former Minister and senior BJP leader V. Sreenivasa Prasad on Monday confirmed his entry into the poll fray for the LS Polls from Chamarajanagar reserved constituency as the   BJP candidate.

Prasad, who arrived in Mysuru on Monday after holding deliberations with State BJP Chief B.S. Yeddyurappa in Bengaluru, told reporters that he will discuss the date for filing his nomination   with his followers.

The former Union Minister, who had announced his retirement from electoral politics after his defeat in the Nanjangud Assembly by-polls in April 2017, said that he was forced to return to the poll fray following pressure from his supporters and followers.

Pointing out that it has been 20 years since he last contested the LS Polls in 1999, Prasad maintained that he was not contesting the elections to exact ‘revenge’ for his defeat in the 2017 Nanjangud by-poll.

Noting that Congress party had become weak, Prasad said for the first time, the national party had joined hands with other parties to defeat the BJP.

Asserting that there is a Modi wave in the country and the BJP will be re-elected at the Centre, the senior BJP leader blamed former Chief Minister Siddharamaiah for the sorry state of affairs in the State and in Congress.

He lashed out at the former CM saying that though the people have taught him (Siddu) a lesson in Chamundeshwari constituency, his arrogance remained.

Prasad was elected five times from Chamarajanagar Lok Sabha seat (four times from the Congress and once from JD-U  in 1999) and served as a Union Minister in the NDA Government headed by Atal        Behari Vajpayee.

Prasad, who later rejoined the Congress, was elected twice as an MLA from Nanjangud (SC) Assembly segment in 2008 and 2013 and served as Revenue Minister in the                                                  Siddharamaiah Cabinet.

But he was unceremoniously dropped from the Cabinet in 2016, following which a miffed Prasad quit Congress and joined BJP. He was named as the BJP State Vice-President by the party top brass and continues to hold the post even now.