Pratap Simha to Nalin Kateel: Before BJP 2nd list, Karnataka MPs keep fingers crossed

Ahead of the announcement of the BJP’s second list of candidates, and amid buzz about several sitting MPs being dropped, the Karnataka ranks are waiting in anticipation.

Among them is Mysore-Kodagu Lok Sabha MP Pratap Simha, who is expected to be replaced by Yaduveer Wadiyar, the titular head of the Mysore royal family.

The reasons for dropping Simha, who won the Mysore-Kodagu constituency in 2014 and 2019, are unclear. It is, however, speculated that the Parliament security breach in December 2023, when protestors used passes issued by Simha to access the visitors’ gallery, could have been a major factor.

Talking to reporters Tuesday, Simha, in an apparent dig at Wadiyar, said he was “proud” that the Mysore royal “wishes to live with ordinary citizens (as their representative) rather than being inside an air-conditioned room as a king”.

He went on to cite land disputes involving the Mysore royal family and said that Wadiyar, who is the adopted child of Mysore royal family matriarch Pramoda Devi Wadayar, would have to give the “disputed land” to the people if he became an MP.

Mangalore MP and former BJP state president Nalin Kumar Kateel, who has represented the constituency thrice since 2019, is among those likely to be left out, as per sources, with the party looking to bring in a new face for Mangalore. Kateel said he welcomed the possibility of a new candidate who, as per speculation, could be BJP state secretary Captain Brijesh Chowta. After the loss in the state polls held in May 2023, Kateel was replaced with BY Vijayendra as the state BJP chief. Vijayendra’s was said to have been elevated to revitalise the Lingayats, the core base of the BJP in the state.

“The party should not be stagnant. New people will come.