Karnataka BJP MP Srinivas Prasad passes away

BENGALURU: Bharatiya Janata party MP from Chamarajanagar and former Union minister V Srinivas Prasad who passed away at a private hospital in Bengaluru during the early hours of Monday.

The 76-year old, served as a Union Minister in Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s cabinet from 1999 to 2004. He suffered from an acute gastrointestinal infection and  was in ICU for the last 4 days.

MP Sinivas was suffering from other health problems, including respiratory problems, underwent treatment at a private hospital in Bengaluru for the past few days, and treatment was given by Dr Sudarshan Ballal.

He represented Chamarajanagar constituency as MP for seven terms. Prasad retired from active participation in electoral politics in March 2024, just a month before his death due to age-related ailments.

Prasad made his foray into electoral politics in 1974, by contesting as an independent candidate in the Krishnaraja segment by-election for the Karnataka Legislative Assembly.

He then joined the Indian National Congress and then the Janata Dal (United) and later returned to the Congress in 2013.

In 2013, he secured a victory as a Congress MLA from Nanjangud. However, he subsequently switched parties once more, officially joining the BJP in December 2016.

This led to a by-election in Nanjangud, where he was defeated by the Congress candidate in 2017.

Prasad’s last win came from the Chamarajanagar Lok Sabha constituency in the 2019 General elections.

Siddaramaiah took to X to post, “I am shocked by the death of Srinivasa Prasad, former minister and senior leader, a strong voice for the oppressed Dalits. His struggle against injustice and inequality, struggle for social justice in the state. Srinivasa Prasad, who worked as a prominent leader of the Congress party for a long time, served the people for a long time as a minister and as a member of the Lok Sabha”.

The Chief Minister described Prasad as a “progressive thinking political leader.”

“Although we worked in different parties for a long time in Old Mysore, we maintained a respectful relationship with each other. When I met recently, we reminisced. There was no expectation that the victorious Prasad would leave us so soon. I pray that the departed soul may rest in eternal peace. I share in the grief of his family members and huge fan base,” Siddaramaiah wrote on X.

ದಲಿತ ದಮನಿತರ ಪರವಾದ ದಿಟ್ಟ ದನಿ ಮಾಜಿ ಸಚಿವ ಮತ್ತು ಹಿರಿಯ ಮುತ್ಸದ್ದಿ ನಾಯಕ ಶ್ರೀನಿವಾಸಪ್ರಸಾದ್ ಅವರ ಸಾವು ನನ್ನನ್ನು ಆಘಾತಕ್ಕೀಡುಮಾಡಿದೆ. ಅನ್ಯಾಯ-ಅಸಮಾನತೆಯ ವಿರುದ್ಧದ ಹೋರಾಟವನ್ನೇ ಬದುಕಾಗಿಸಿಕೊಂಡಿದ್ದ ಅವರ ಅಗಲಿಕೆ ರಾಜ್ಯದ ಸಾಮಾಜಿಕ ನ್ಯಾಯದ ಪರವಾದ ರಾಜಕೀಯ ಹೋರಾಟಕ್ಕೆ ದೊಡ್ಡ ಹಿನ್ನಡೆಯಾಗಿದೆ.
ದೀರ್ಘಕಾಲ ಕಾಂಗ್ರೆಸ್ ಪಕ್ಷದ ಪ್ರಮುಖ… pic.twitter.com/E0M7JWez3h

— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) April 29, 2024

Prasad is survived by his wife Bhagyalakshmi and his three daughters, Pratima Prasad, Poornima Prasad, and Poonam Prasad.

The body will be placed at the Dasara Grounds in Mysuru for the public to pay their respect. (ANI)