Is Tejashvi Surya, the youngest candidate to win 2019 LS polls?

Bengaluru, May 23: BJP's Tejasvi Surya, who registered a thumping victory in Bangalore South, defeating Congress' B K Hariprasad became the youngest MP of the ruling party. While an engineering graduate from Odisha has become the youngest Member of Parliament to the 17th Lok Sabha.

The BJD leader Chandrani Murmu, who represents tribal-dominated Keonjhar is 25 years, 11 months and nine days old. Murmu was pitted against two-time MP from BJP Ananta Nayak, who was defeated by a margin of 66,203 votes.

The 28-year old lawyer and BJP youth wing was a surprise choice of the party for the Bangalore South seat over the claims of Tejaswini Ananth Kumar. However, he had overcome initial reservations on his candidature and the party had worked for him in a concerted manner.

Bangalore South seat is a BJP bastion with largely upper class Hindu voters. The seat was empty since former MP Ananth Kumar died in 2018. Ahead of candidature announcement, there were strong rumours that BJP would give a ticket to Tejaswini Ananth Kumar from the seat, but Surya got the nod eventually.

Earlier, the youth leader had thanked the people of his constituency on Twitter and said he would be holding a public meet to interact with voters and party workers.

His victory was never in doubt, but the margin of the lead is quite a surprise.

Ananth Kumar has won six times from this constituency and had never tasted defeat here.

The constituency was represented by Ananth Kumar six times. He had been an MP from 1996 till the time of his death in November 2018.