MYSURU: Former minister and daughter of former chief minister D Devaraj Urs, Chandraprabha Urs (70), died here on Tuesday after a prolonged illness.
She is survived by her son Manjunath Urs and daughter Anupama Urs. She had suffered a fracture in an accident in 2007 and was bed-ridden.
Chandraprabha Urs did her schooling in Kalahalli village and pursued PG in Political Science. She had worked closely with her father Devaraj Urs and developed an interest in politics.
She contested her first election under Kranthi Ranga banner and won by a margin of 63,000 votes and went on to become Excise, Sericulture and Social Welfare Minister in the Ramakrishna Hegde government.
She was re-elected from Hunsur Assembly constituency. With the then scion of the Mysuru royal family, Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar joining the BJP, Chandraprabha Urs contested on a Congress ticket and won the Lok Sabha polls in 1989 from Mysuru but lost in 1994.
She had lost her husband Mohanraj Urs and son Ajay Urs some year ago.
Urs Family Neglected
There was an allegation that the Congress which came to power singing paens about the programmes launched by Devaraj Urs, had neglected Chandraprabha Urs and her family.
Party leaders who were benefited by the programmes of Devaraj Urs did not give the family a political space. But, the state Congress leaders had utilised the Urs name during election campaigns and conventions held for weaker sections.
Chandraprabha Urs on many occasions had expressed regret over the Congress high command and party state leaders not showing interest in reviving the political future of the once powerful family of old Mysuru region.
She was hurt as no name from the Urs family was recommended to the party panel. No leader from the KPCC or the district has met the Urs family members in recent times.
Anupama Urs, granddaughter of Devaraj Urs, who had applied for a Congress ticket from Hunsur in 2013, was denied it.
last rites TODAY
The last rites of Chandraprabha Urs will be held at Kalahalli on May 4. MLA G T Deve Gowda, former UoM syndicate member H A Venkatesh and others have condoled the death of Chandraprabha Urs.