The BJP in Mysuru has been sent into tizzy following an outburst by MP Pratap Simmha on Tuesday who made sarcastic remarks alluding to Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar of the erstwhile royal family and who is tipped to be fielded by the party.
Prior to this Mr. Simmha went live on Facebook sometime ago and repeatedly referred to his contributions and how he a loyal party worker had strived to usher in development besides upholding the ideology of Hindutva.
But interacting with the media, Mr. Simmha said that if the BJP top brass intends to field the scion of the erstwhile royal family then it would underline the beauty of democracy as the royals will have to mingle with commoners and get the roads cleaned or take part in agitations.
This triggered a commotion within the BJP local leadership which has reverence for the Wadiyars and an ‘’emergency press meet’’ was convened by MLA T.S. Srivatsa and city BJP unit president L. Nagendra.
The crux of their statements was that Mr. Simmha should not lose heart as the ticket was yet to be announced while subtly displaying their displeasure in the manner in which he alluded to Mr. Yaduveer.
Mr. Srivatsa said none of them were in a position to allot tickets and all party workers have to work for the victory of any candidate that the party top brass decided to field.
Mr. Nagendra said when Pratap Simmha was fielded for the first time, the rank and file of the BJP worked hard for his victory and he contributed to the development of Mysuru. Similarly, the contribution of the Wadiyars was also immense and it did not behove anyone to speak lightly of them, said Mr. Nagendra.
Former MLA S.A. Ramdas, who was denied ticket to contest from the Krishnaraja constituency during the 2023 Assembly elections, said people of Mysuru hold the Wadiyars in high esteem given their contribution to the development of the region. Making such statements will create discomfiture among the party workers, said Mr. Ramdas, remarking that whether Yaduveer would mingle with the commoners was something that would be decided by the BJP top brass.
