At long last, the BJP has announced its candidate. Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, the BJP’s choice of a royal candidate, has ignited a flurry of reactions in the Mysuru-Kodagu region.

Yaduveer’s selection has sparked sophisticated discussions in drawing rooms, lively banter in tea shops, concern in chaat stands and passionate debates in smokers’ corners.

For an inveterate eaves-dropper such as myself, this is a festive moment.

In my interactions, I found a prevailing sentiment of scepticism and discontent among BJP supporters. But whenever they criticised Yaduveer, I deliberately offered potential solutions, only to receive the customary response: “We’ll wait and watch.”

The murmurs I heard conveyed widespread dissatisfaction with the choice, rooted in various reservations.

Among the well-heeled denizens of drawing rooms, doubts lingered about Yaduveer’s capacity to pursue a developmental agenda akin to that of Prathap Simha.

One sceptic questioned, “Will Yaduveer wait outside the Railway Minister’s Office to secure trains for us? Being of royal lineage, might he not consider such tasks beneath him?”

To this, I ventured that Yaduveer’s regal status might actually help expedite access and approvals.

Still, the refrain remained: “We’ll wait and watch.”

In the rustic ambience of tea shops, concerns centred on Yaduveer’s age and accessibility.

Some argued that he was too tender (yelasu) in years to navigate the complexities of the vast Mysuru-Kodagu Constituency, with its intricate caste dynamics and developmental demands.

I countered that Yaduveer was 32 and Prathap Simha was 35, just three years older than Yaduveer when he entered politics and that Yaduveer’s royal status might spare him from micro-level caste politics.

Additionally, I noted Yaduveer’s credentials as an economics graduate and wildlife enthusiast could lead to ‘sustainable’ development of Mysuru.

Nonetheless, the refrain persisted: “We’ll wait and watch.”

In chaat stands, the issue was: Will Yaduveer be accessible?

Some said, “Earlier, we could walk into Prathap Simha’s Office and ‘demand’ what we needed, like a seat for our child or a recommendation letter or a grant from the MP’s Local Area  Development Fund. Now, how can we ‘demand’ from a royal family member? We can only request, wait and hope.”

I said Yaduveer could prove them wrong by sitting in the MP’s Office instead of the Palace and be open to ‘demands’.

Again, it was: “We’ll wait and watch.”

At the smokers’ corners, discussions veered towards conjecture and assertive opinions.

Self-professed intellectuals, amid deep drags of their cigarettes, lamented, “Did you hear that Yaduveer expects to be addressed as ‘His Highness’? Does he not realise that such titles have been rendered obsolete and illegal in independent, democratic India?”

Another interlocutor, a proud Kannadiga, queried, “Why should a scion of a royal family sitting in Rajasthan (referring to Yaduveer’s father-in-law) have an influence in selecting a candidate in Karnataka? Do the BJP voters in Mysuru-Kodagu not matter?”

In response, I pledged to verify these claims if I meet Yaduveer.

I was met with the retort: “We’ll wait and watch.”

Beyond scrutinising Yaduveer’s capabilities, ample discourse                            revolved around the Statue Issue: Will Yaduveer insist on having his adopted father’s statue in front of JSS Mahavidyapeetha or will his Party President B.Y. Vijayendra, who belongs to the Lingayat community, insist on Dr. Sri Shivarathri Rajendra Swamiji’s statue?

They asked what Yaduveer would do about the Mahisha Dasara issue. When asked last time, Yaduveer said, “No comments”. Now that he is a politician, he can’t skirt around the issue.

They asked what he would do about the water issues in Chamundi Hill and its residents, considering the royal family’s claim that the whole of Chamundi Hill belongs to them.

Regarding all the above issues, Prathap Simha was clear about his stand. Can Yaduveer be?

The biggest disadvantage for Yaduveer is that he will be compared with Prathap Simha on all parameters. 

While scepticism towards Yaduveer is understandable, hastily dismissing or pre-judging him is equally unjust. Nevertheless, Yaduveer must not take his position for granted.

It is a fact that while we Indians are gradually shedding our colonial hangover, many are still nursing a strong ‘Royal Hangover’.

That said, in Mysuru, while deference to the royal family persists, we prioritise the efficacy of our leaders over regal lineage.

Yaduveer’s adopted father, Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar’s uneventful political career is proof that royal allure wanes unless complemented by humility, accessibility and diligent work.

BJP has chosen Yaduveer as its candidate and scepticism is rife among its voters.

As the saying goes, “Heavy is the head that wears the crown,” Yaduveer’s royal peta just got heavier and it is up to him to dispel the sceptics.

For now, let us refrain from judging the book by its ‘royal’ cover. Maybe it will turn out to be as good as the robust paperback we just read.

So, let’s “wait and watch.” But to do so, Yaduveer first has to win. Fingers Crossed.

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