Pratap Simha, a journalist-turned-politician, is quite popular in Karnataka. The BJP MP represents the Mysuru-Kodagu constituency. The two-time MP is regarded as the best-performing parliamentarian by his supporters.
In a shocking and inexplicable move, the BJP High Command has decided not to give him the MP ticket this time. Simha won in both 2014 and 2019. This would have been his hat-trick. "Most of my friends are shocked that Pratap Simha was not given Mysuru MP ticket this time. Easily the best performing MP from Karnataka over the past ten years. I sincerely hope that Narendra Modi has some long-term bigger plan for this extremely energetic and capable leader," wrote Kiran Kumar S, a vocal BJP supporter on Twitter.
There are speculations that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Amit Shah and JP Nadda plan to promote Simha to the level of a CM candidate by 2028. If true, this is going to be a rough journey for him. Already, Tejaswi Surya and a couple of other leaders are waiting their turn for the top post.
Simha's position within the BJP will become clear in a few months. For now, he has urged his supporters not to protest. He also said that he is nothing without Modi.
