Former union minister, BJP leader V Srinivas Prasad passes away

Bengaluru, Apr 29: Chamarajanagar MP, former Union Minister, and BJP leader V Srinivas Prasad passed away due to age-related ailments at a private hospital in Bengaluru during the early hours of Monday April 29.

Prasad had announced his political retirement on March 17, marking the golden jubilee of his political career. However, his residence in Jayalakshmipuram, Mysuru, remained active with political engagements. Leaders from both Congress and BJP, including chief minister Siddaramaiah and former CM B S Yediyurappa, visited him seeking his support.

Since the declaration of the Lok Sabha polls, various leaders, including Mysore-Kodagu and Chamarajanagar segment candidates Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, M Lakshmana, S Balaraj, and Sunil Bose, along with Bose’s father and Social Welfare Minister H C Mahadevappa and BJP state president B Y Vijayendra, visited his residence.

On April 2, Prasad’s relatives and supporters, including his brother V Ramaswamy and nephew Bharat Ramaswamy, joined the Congress under Siddaramaiah's leadership. Meanwhile, Prasad’s sons-in-law Dr N S Mohan and former MLA B Harshavardhan participated in several election meetings, including one with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Mysuru on April 14.

Born to M Venkataiah and D V Puttamma in Ashokapuram, Mysuru, on July 6, 1947, Prasad began his electoral journey on March 17, 1974, in the by-election to Krishnaraja Assembly segment as an Independent. He had a longstanding association with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) until 1972 and was active in the Jan Sangh and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). Apart from his political stature as a Dalit leader, he was admired for his intellectual pursuits.

Prasad contested 14 elections, winning eight of them. Among these, he contested nine Lok Sabha polls from the Chamarajanagar constituency and secured victory in six. He served as a Union Minister in the A B Vajpayee Cabinet from 1999 to 2004, representing Lokajanashakthi MP. Additionally, he was elected twice as an MLA and served as Karnataka's Revenue Minister.

His political journey began with the Janata Party in 1980 before transitioning to the Congress, later joining the Janata Dal (United), and returning to the Congress fold. In 2016, he aligned with the BJP after his removal from Siddaramaiah's Cabinet.

Prasad is survived by his wife Bhagyalakshmi and three daughters: Prathima Prasad, Poornima, and Poonam. Another son-in-law, Devaraj, is an IRS (Revenue) officer, serving as GST Commissioner (Appeals) in Hyderabad.

His mortal remains arrived at his residence by 7.30 am on Monday and will be laid at the Dasara Exhibition Grounds in Mysuru at 9 am for the public to pay their respects. Numerous political leaders and dignitaries are expected to pay their respects.