The passing away of Srikantadutta Narasimharaja Wadiyar, the last scion of Mysore in December 2013, had given rise to wide sepculations on his successor.
With the naming of Yaduveer Gopal Raj Urs on Thursday, all speculation in this regard have ended.
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The position will be titular in nature and the issue of succession is purely a family affair. However, public interest on the subject remains high, given the association of the Wadiyars with Mysuru region and its all round development.
Pramoda Devi Wadiyar, wife of late SN Wadiyar, wanted the issue to be resolved peacefully. Srikantadutta Narasimharaja Wadiyar's nephew Chaduranga Kantharaj Urs was the preferred choice by the members of the royal family for conducting the last rites of Srikantadutta Narasimharaja Wadiyar as the latter had no issues. This had led to the conjecturing that Kantharaj Urs may as well be named the successor. During the 2014 Dasara he had stepped in for late Wadiyar and completed the traditional rites followed by the family members since generations. This, of course, had reinforced the belief that Mr. Kantharaj Urs would be named the successor.
Apart from Chaduranga Kantharaj the other names that did rounds included Aditya Gurudev Urs, son of Indirakshi Devi - fourth daughter of the last Maharaja Jayachamaraja Wadiyar. Besides, there were rumours of Varchuswee SS Raje Urs – son of Meenakshi Devi – second daughter of Jayachamaraja Wadiyar – as a possible heir.
Yaduveer Gopal Raj Urs is the son of Leela Tripurasundari Devi, daughter of Srikantadutta Wadiyar's eldest sister Gayatri Devi. He is pursuing a course in Economics in Boston, USA. Ultimately, it is Pramoda Devi, who has had the last say in the matter.
The new successor will no doubt inherit the cultural practices associated with Dasara followed by the family since 1610 when Raja Wadiya inaugurated the tradition in Srirangapatna near Mysuru.
But more important, he will be saddled with various property related cases pending in the court. This includes the vexed Mysore Palace (Acquisition and Transfer) Act.
Incidentally, the Mysore Palace Acquisition Act 1998 was introduced when Mr.Siddaramaiah was the Deputy Chief Minister in the Janata Dal (Secular) Government. Political observers say it highly unlikely that Siddaramaiah as the Chief Minister would abrogate the Act he introduced.