Bharatiya Janata Party MP and former Union Minister V. Srinivas Prasad, 76, who was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Bengaluru, passed away in the wee hours of Monday. The influential Dalit leader represented Chamarajanagar Lok Sabha constituency six times and Nanjangud Assembly segment twice.
He is survived by his wife Bhagyalakshmi and three daughters.
Mr. Prasad, who was ailing for some time, had announced his retirement from politics in March, marking an end to his 50 years in public life.
The last rites of the departed leader will be performed as per Buddhist rituals at B.R. Ambedkar Educational and Cultural Trust on Mananthavadi Road in Mysuru Tuesday. A follower of B.R. Ambedkar’s ideals, Mr. Prasad had converted to Buddhism.
His electoral career began with his foray in the byelections to Krishnaraja Assembly constituency in 1974 when he contested as an independent. Later, he joined the Congress and tasted his first electoral success when he contested from Chamarajanagar Lok Sabha constituency in 1980. Mr. Prasad, who had a love-hate relationship with the Congress, had stints with JD(U) and JD(S) besides the BJP.
After his victory in the Lok Sabha elections of 1999 from the JD(U), Mr. Prasad served as the Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government till 2004.
He joined the Congress later, got elected as an MLA from Nanjangud (reserved) Assembly constituency in 2013 and became the Minister for Revenue and Religious Endowment in the Congress government headed by Mr. Siddaramaiah.
But, Mr. Prasad resigned from the Assembly after he was dropped from the Cabinet in 2016. He joined the BJP and contested the bypolls held in 2017, but was defeated by the Congress.
Mr. Prasad, who had announced his retirement from electoral politics, stayed out of the 2018 Assembly elections, but was convinced by the BJP to return to the fray in Chamarajanagar Lok Sabha constituency in 2019. In a closely fought electoral battle, Mr. Prasad triumphed albeit by a slim margin. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had recently called on Prasad at the latter’s residence in Mysuru, sparking speculations.
