MPs likely to contest Assembly polls in Karnataka

Mysore, Apr 20 (UNI) A few MPs from Mysore region are likely to contest the coming Assembly elections in Karnataka.

The elections would decide the fate of V Srinivasa Prasad, scion of Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar, and Mandya MP M H Ambareesh.

Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) MP, C H Vijayashankar, representing the Mysore constituency, may contest the poll from Periyapatna in the district. Incidentally, Mr Vijayshankar won his first Assembly election from Hunsur in 1994.

Even though the former Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa had said unambiguously that party MPs would not contest the poll, supporters of H Ganesh, representing the Periyapatna constituency, staged a dharna before Mr Vijayashankar's house in Hunsur recently, following reports about moves to deny ticket to their leader.

A section of the party workers said Mr Vijyashankar may jump into the fray, as the BJP's chances of coming to power are bright in the state.

When the news reached that several MPs of BJP were eager to contest the polls after the announcement of the schedule, several former MLAs of the party felt aggrieved, as not only tickets would be denied to them, but it would also erode the prospects of the party in the Assembly elections.

Srinivasa Prasad, who represented Chamarajanagara (Reserved) Parlimentary constituency for five-terms and was a Minister of State in the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance(NDA) government, is likely to contest from Nanjangud, which has become a reserved constituency after the delimitation process in the state.

Mr Prasad, who rejoined the Congress in December 2006 from the Janata Dal (S), had not contested the Lok Sabha poll in 2004 and instead paved the way for the victory of his follower Kagalwadi Shivanna from Chamarajanagara constituency.

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