Chamarajanagar MP V Srinivas Prasad announces retirement from politics

Chamarajanagar MP V Srinivas Prasad, 75, announced his political retirement on Friday.

Speaking to media persons at his Jayalakshmipuram residence, after celebrating his 75th birthday with children of Odanadi Seva Samsthe on Nanjangud Road, Prasad said he is retiring from politics with a content heart.

“I wanted to retire from politics four years back. But due to some political developments and circumstances, it was postponed. I will not contest any more elections,” he said.

It has to be recalled that Prasad had declared that it was his last contest in any election during the 2013 Assembly polls. However, when Prasad was dropped as Revenue Minister in 2016, by then-chief minister Siddaramaiah, Prasad resigned as MLA. Later, he joined the BJP and contested the bypoll from Nanjangud Assembly constituency in 2017, which he lost. Again, a reluctant Prasad was fielded in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls by the BJP. Earlier in 2018, his son-in-law B Harshavardhan was elected on a BJP ticket from Nanjangud segment.

A six-term MP from Chamarajanagar, Prasad had won on a Congress ticket four times (1981 to 1991) and on a JD(U) ticket once (1999). He was also minister of state in Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s cabinet (1999 to 2004). He was elected as MLA from Nanjangud twice (2008 and 2013).

Former minister N Mahesh, who joined the BJP in Bengaluru on Thursday, and Mysuru-Chamarajanagar District in-charge Minister S T Somashekar visited Prasad at his house on Friday.