2024 was an action-packed year for Mysuru district

Mysuru: The Old Mysuru region experienced notable events throughout 2024. The region witnessed several political turmoils, including an FIR being lodged against chief minister Siddaramaiah, the arrest of the son and grandchildren of former PM HD Deve Gowda, BJP expelling one of its senior-most leaders, KS Eshwarappa from the party, and the appointment of CH Vijayashankar as the Meghalaya governor.
An era ended with the demise of former CM SM Krishna. The year concluded with the grand success of the 87th Kannada Sahitya Sammelana in Mandya.
The biggest political development in the region was Lokayukta cops filing an FIR against CM Siddaramaiah and his wife Parvathi on Sept 27, in connection with the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (Muda) sites scam. Later, both of them appeared before the Lokayukta SP for an inquiry in the city.
In the Lok Sabha election 2024, Congress was able to wrest the Hassan constituency, which is considered the home turf of the Gowda family, after a gap of 25 years, while a member of the Mysuru royal family was elected as a Lok Sabha member for the first time after a gap of 25 years.
BJP's decision to join hands with JD(S) in the 2024 Lok Sabha election helped both parties to wrest the majority of seats in the Old Mysuru region.
Another major political development in the region was BJP's decision to leave the Mandya Lok Sabha constituency to its alliance partner JD(S), instead of retaining incumbent MP Sumalantha, who supported BJP after being elected as an independent candidate in the 2019 general election. After a gap of 18 years, Mandya got representation in the central cabinet with HD Kumaraswamy becoming the cabinet minister for steel and heavy industries.
The arrests of former minister and MLA HD Revanna, son of former PM HD Deve Gowda, and his two children, Suraj Revanna (MLC) and Prajwal Revanna (ex-MP), in connection with an alleged sex scandal also made headlines. Revanna and his sons, Prajwal and Suraj, denied the allegations. A mammoth protest against the Deve Gowda family in Hassan, organised by like-minded organisations on May 30, also raised political tensions.
End of an era
Former CM SM Krishna's death on December 10 marked the end of an era. Krishna, who started his political career as an MLA from Maddur, was considered one of the tallest leaders of the state. Another veteran leader, KH Shrinivas from Shivamogga, passed away on August 30.
Yettinahole project
The ambitious but controversial Yettinahole drinking water project was inaugurated on Sept 6 at Hassan by CM Siddaramaiah. This project, which aimed at providing drinking water to the drought-hit areas of the southern districts, was criticised as an ecological disaster.
No water crisis
With southern districts recording heavy rain during the monsoon, there was no Cauvery water crisis this year. The KRS dam continues to remain filled even till the end of December, ensuring that there will not be a drinking water crisis in the summer of 2025.
Sahitya Sammelana
After a gap of 30 years, Mandya district hosted the 87th Akhila Bharata Kannada Sahitya Sammelana between Dec 20 and 22. Lakhs of people attended this Kannada festival, which attracted Kannada lovers from across the globe.