‘CM Siddaramaiah, Dy.CM D.K. Shivakumar are Maharajas; our candidate will fight against them’

Mysore/Mysuru: Dr. Radha Mohan Das Agarwal, the BJP’s National General Secretary overseeing Karnataka affairs, has termed Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, of the erstwhile Mysore royal family, as a ‘better’ candidate compared to the incumbent MP Prathap Simha. However, Agarwal hinted that a more significant role awaited Prathap Simha in the future.

“The Party High Command has selected Yaduveer as he is a better candidate for the Mysuru-Kodagu Constituency. There are no specific reasons why two-time MP Prathap Simha was denied the ticket but the High Command felt that Yaduveer was a more suitable candidate. At the same time, I would like to say that Prathap Simha will be given a bigger role in BJP in the future. Now Prathap Simha will be our star campaigner,” he told reporters in Mysuru yesterday.

Dr. Agarwal lauded the historical contributions of the erstwhile Maharajas of Mysore to the region’s development, including the establishment of the hydroelectric plant in 1905, the construction of KRS Reservoir and initiatives in industrialisation and primary education.

“Yaduveer will be our star campaigner in many other Constituencies as the Maharajas — his forefathers — have contributed to the overall welfare of the entire region,” he said.

Agarwal underscored the BJP’s efforts to reintegrate the erstwhile royal family into mainstream politics through democratic channels, to leverage their potential contributions to the progress of Mysuru and Karnataka.

On the statements of Congress leaders that the people of Mysuru and Kodagu will fight against royalty (Maharaja) and a common man, Agarwal said, “Yaduveer is a common man and he is amidst us. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar are the Maharajas and our candidate will fight against those Maharajas,” he said.

Agarwal expressed that the BJP’s inability to nominate MP Sumalatha Ambarish from Mandya was due to the party’s alliance with JD(S). He emphasised the necessity of the BJP-JD(S) coalition in Karnataka to dislodge the Congress.

Nonetheless, Agarwal assured that Sumalatha, who has supported the BJP for the past five years, would persist in her allegiance to the party.