‘I will not remain in any political party; None from my family will succeed me’

Mysore/Mysuru: Former Minister and current BJP MP representing Chamarajanagar (reserved) Lok Sabha constituency V. Sreenivasa Prasad said he will retire from politics after his present term as MP ends in 2024. He was speaking at an event organised to felicitate Prof. C. Basavaraju, VC of Karnataka State Law University and Kalyanasiri Bhanteji, who obtained a Ph.D from KSOU, at Kalamandira yesterday (See page 9).

Prasad attributed his decision to quit politics due to his ill health. “I wanted to retire from politics four years back. But due to some political developments and circumstances, it was postponed. I will not contest any more elections. I will complete 50 years in politics when my present term as MP ends and I contested a total of 14 elections in my political career out of which I won 11,” he noted.

It may be recalled here that Sreenivasa Prasad had declared that it was his last contest in any election during the 2013 Assembly polls. However, when he was dropped as Revenue Minister in 2016 by the then CM Siddharamaiah, a miffed Prasad resigned as MLA and fought a bitter verbal battle with the former.

Later, he joined BJP and contested bypoll from Nanjangud Assembly constituency in 2017, which he lost. He was fielded in the 2019 LS polls by BJP and he won. In 2018, his son-in-law B. Harshavardhan was elected on a BJP ticket from Nanjangud Assembly constituency. “I have represented Nanjangud and have served both State and Union Governments as a Minister. I agreed to contest the last Lok Sabha elections as my well-wishers said I should retire only after winning the elections and not after an electoral defeat,” he added.

Prasad said that after his term ends, he will neither contest any elections nor will remain in any political party. “No one from my family will succeed me. I will involve myself in the social activities of a Foundation,” he said.

A six-term MP from Chamarajanagar, Prasad had won on a Congress ticket four times (1981 to 1991) and on a JD(U) ticket once (1999). He was also Minister of State in Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s Cabinet (1999 to 2004). He was elected as MLA from Nanjangud twice (2008 and 2013).