Custodian of 625-year legacy of Yadu dynasty is BJP nominee for LS poll in Mysuru

Mysuru: Speculations over the past few days, that Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja (YKC) Wadiyar, member of the erstwhile royal family, would be BJP candidate in Mysuru-Kodagu Lok Sabha constituency, has turned true.

In the second list of the BJP, released on Wednesday evening, the name of YKC Wadiyar has been announced for Mysuru-Kodagu segment.

Yadu dynasty

He may be new to politics, but he is one of the ‘most influential persons’, since he was just 22 years old. He is the custodian of the legacy of the 625-year Yadu dynasty of the erstwhile Mysuru State that includes present 14 districts of Karnataka.

Born as Yaduveer Gopal Raj Urs, on March 24, 1992, to Swarup Anand Gopal Raj Urs and Tripurasundari Devi, he is the great-grandson of Jayachamaraja Wadiyar and grand-nephew of Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar.

Lineage

Tripurasundari Devi is the daughter of the late Gayatri Devi — daughter of Jayachamaraja Wadiyar and elder sister of Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar. Swarup Anand Gopal Raj Urs is a descendant of Prince Subramanya Raj Urs, biological elder brother of Chamarajendra Wadiyar also known as Tenth Chamaraja Wadiyar.

Despite being related to the erstwhile royal family, Yaduveer was brought up in a normal way. He studied at Vidya Niketan School and Canadian International School, in Bengaluru. He did a BA in Economics and English in Boston, USA. He has a penchant for music and plays veena and guitar. His other interests include cricket, reading and writing.

Adoption

Yaduveer, a member of Bettada Kote family, was adopted by Pramoda Devi Wadiyar on February 23, 2015, following the death of her husband Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar on December 10, 2013. Yaduveer was coronated as the 27th Maharaja (titular) on May 28, 2015. He was married to Trishika Kumari Singh, daughter of Harshwardhan Singh and Maheshree Kumari of Dungarpur, in Rajasthan, on June 28, 2016. He was blessed with Aadyaveer Narasimharaja Wadiyar on December 6, 2017. Harshwardhan Singh is a BJP leader and was Rajya Sabha Member once.

Yaduveer is involved in various activities related to heritage, culture, environment, entrepreneurship and social welfare, through his Bherunda Foundation. The Mysuru City Corporation had him as one of its ambassadors for Swachhatha Abhiyaan in 2016 and 2017, along with his mother Pramoda Devi Wadiyar. In 2018, he was made Tourism Ambassador for the Old-Mysuru region.

Politics

Political bigwigs like Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah have visited him at his Mysuru Palace on a couple of occasions. Even during the 2019 LS poll, he was asked to contest as a BJP nominee. But, he had turned down the offer then. Even recently, he had expressed disinterest in politics. The BJP high-command has been successful in convincing him, turning the poll in Mysuru, a high voltage one.