Bengaluru: Former Union Minister and Bhartiya Janata Party MP from Karnataka's Chamarajanagar, V Sreenivasa Prasad, who was undergoing treatment at a private hospital here, died at the age of 76 on Monday, family sources said. Prasad is survived by his wife and three daughters.
Prasad had a long and varied political career, spanning nearly 50 years, during which he was associated with multiple parties including Congress and BJP. The six-time MP from Chamarajanagar and two-time MLA from Nanjangud in Mysuru district was ailing for some time.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the death of BJP MP, describing him as a champion of social justice who devoted his life to the welfare of the poor, downtrodden and marginalised. He said on X, "I am extremely pained by the passing away of senior leader and MP from Chamarajanagar, Shri V. Sreenivasa Prasad Ji. He was a champion of social justice, having devoted his life to the welfare of the poor, downtrodden and marginalised."
On March 18 this year, Prasad announced his retirement from electoral politics, marking an end to his almost 50 years in public life. He started his political career with the erstwhile Janata Party in 1976 and joined the Congress in 1979. He also had a stint with the JD(S), JD(U), and the Samata Party before joining the BJP.
Prasad served as the Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs Food and Public Distribution in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government from 1999 to 2004. He joined the Congress later, got elected as an MLA in 2013 and became the revenue and religious endowment minister in the Siddaramaiah government.
In 2016, Prasad resigned from the Karnataka Assembly and rejoined the BJP. He contested the 2017 Nanjangud bypolls on a BJP ticket but lost. He then successfully fought the Lok Sabha election from Chamarajanagar in 2019.
