Siddaramaiah meets veteran politician V Srinivasprasad, asks him to have 'sympathy' towards Congress

Mysuru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah visited the residence of veteran politician, former minister and MP V Srinivasprasad at Jayalakshmipuram in Mysuru on Saturday to enquire about his health. Siddaramaiah spent over half an hour with him during the visit.

Speaking to media persons later, CM Siddaramaiah mentioned, "V Srinivasprasad and I have been friends for a very long time. He had moved to the BJP while I was in the Congress. After he retired from politics, I couldn't visit him, so I took this opportunity to talk to him and check on his health. We did not discuss politics, as he has already declared that he would not support any party politically, campaign for any political party, or seek votes in favour of any political party. I simply reminded him that since he was once with the Congress party, to retain a sense of sympathy towards the Congress."

MLAs Harish Gowda, Ganesh Prasad, Krishnamurthy and others joined the CM.

Disappointed after being dropped from the cabinet during the previous tenure of the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government in the state in 2017, Srinivasprasad resigned from the Congress and joined the BJP. He subsequently contested and lost a by-election in the Nanjangud assembly constituency. However, Srinivasprasad played a crucial role in securing victory for the BJP candidate and his son-in-law B. Harshavardhan in the Nanjangud assembly constituency in 2018.

In the previous Lok Sabha elections in 2019, Srinivasprasad contested from the Chamarajanagar Lok Sabha constituency and secured a narrow victory over R Dhruvanarayana, establishing a strong base for the BJP in the region.

Srinivasprasad, a six-term MP, two-term MLA, and former Central and state minister, officially announced his retirement from politics on March 17 at an event commemorating his 50-year career in politics in Mysuru.

Members of the 'V Srinivasprasad Abhimaani Balaga' from Mysuru and Chamarajanagar, along with relatives of Srinivasprasad including his brother V Ramaswamy, nephew Bharath Ramaswamy, and supporters, joined the Congress party on April 2. During a press meet on Thursday, they clarified that although Srinivasprasad himself has decided not to align with any political party after his retirement, he has permitted them to support the party of their choice. With his consent, they have chosen to join and support the Congress party.

In addition to Congress candidates M Lakshmana for the Mysuru-Kodagu Lok Sabha constituency and Sunil Bose for the Chamarajanagar Lok Sabha constituency, BJP candidates Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar and Balaraj, along with BJP leaders including state unit chief B Y Vijayendra, have visited the residence of Srinivasprasad seeking his support.