The historical city of Mysore, home to architectural wonders, seat of the erstwhile rulers, the Wadiyars, a modern, bustling city, is slated to vote on 26 April for the 2024 General Elections. Mysore will be voting during the second phase of the elections along with all 14 Lok Sabha constituencies of Karnataka which form a part of the 89 Lok Sabha seats across 13 states and Union Territories (UTs) that are scheduled to vote that day.
So, what is it that makes Mysore important? Since its formation in 1977, Mysore has displayed a dynamic political narrative. While it has sent members of the Indian National Congress to parliament regularly, this has been changing in recent years with the constituency favouring the BJP. The Mysore Lok Sabha constituency includes the two districts of Mysuru and Kodagu.
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The Bharatiya Janata Party is contesting from 25 of the 28 seats in Karnataka, with its ally the JDS fielding candidates in the three balance seats.
For Mysore, the Bharatiya Janata Party has replaced sitting MP Pratap Simha with Yaduveer Wadiyar the royal scion. The Congress has announced M. Lakshmana as its candidate.
While Wadiyar is making his political debut from Mysore, Lakshmana is state Congress spokesperson and a close aide of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. The Chief Minister has been campaigning aggressively for the Congress candidate. It should be noted that by selecting Lakshmana, the Congress has played the caste card as Lakshmana is a Vokkaliga, and the region is Vokkaliga heartland.
The battle lines are drawn in Mysore where the BJP is taking on the Congress. Will the BJP’s Wadiyar with the backing of the BJP and JDS be able to win over the people of Mysore? Or will the Chief Minister’s chosen candidate Lakshmana win the day?
In a battle between royal versus ordinary and CM vs PM, the people of Mysore hold the final answers.
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