Virtually conceding that the party would not give him a ticket for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Pratap Simha, BJP's 2-time MP from Karnataka's Mysuru-Kodagu constituency, on Tuesday appealed to his supporters to ‘not protest.’
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Simha said his whole ‘political existence’ is because of prime minister Narendra Modi.
“Dear karyakarthas & well-wishers, what am I without beloved @narendramodi ji? See these 2 photos and understand. I owe my political existence to Modi ji. I humbly request all of you to not protest. We all belong to one family, let’s work for Modi ji,” the ex-journalist, 47, wrote on the microblogging platform.
In the 2014 general elections, the BJP won 17 out of Karnataka's 28 Lok Sabha seats, and increased its tally to 25 five years later. On both occasions, Simha was the party's winning candidate from Mysuru.
{{/usCountry}}In the 2014 general elections, the BJP won 17 out of Karnataka's 28 Lok Sabha seats, and increased its tally to 25 five years later. On both occasions, Simha was the party's winning candidate from Mysuru.
{{/usCountry}}Now, however, in its bid for ‘fresh faces,’ the saffron party has reportedly been courting Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, the 31-year-old scion of the Mysuru royal family, to contest on its ticket from the constituency.
BJP MP ‘fumes’ at royal family scion
On Tuesday, the BJP MP took a not-so-subtle dig at the royal family member, saying how someone from the ‘air-conditioned palace’ of Mysuru, has now ‘come to live with the people.’
Also Read: Pratap Simha fumes amid buzz that BJP might field royal family scion
"It is good to know that a person who lived in the palace will work as a BJP worker and protest on the street against the (state's) Congress government. Similarly, the (titular) king would sit with commoners while senior leaders sit on the dais and he would wait outside hotels when the senior leaders come to the city. It is good to know,” the parliamentarian remarked.
The Lok Sabha polls, meanwhile, are likely to be held in April-May, and the Election Commission of India (ECI) is expected to announce the dates in the coming days. The BJP is seeking a third straight term under prime minister Modi.
On March 2, the ruling party released its first list, naming candidates for 195 seats. It is expected to unveil its second list later today.