Every day politicians cutting across party lines talk big about women empowerment. But when it comes to giving representation to women, all of them cut a sorry figure and it comes across as a cliché. To the dismay of many, just nine women candidates in Karnataka are contesting polls this time.
BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi always talks about women’s safety and empowerment. However, the party has fielded just one candidate from Udupi-Chikkamagalur constituency. Shobha Karandajle, a close aide of former CM and BJP candidate from Shivamoga BS Yeddyurappa, is contesting from Udupi-Chikkamagalur constituency.
In fact, it is a known fact that Shobha was given the ticket as a persuasion package by Yeddyurappa when he merged his KJP with the BJP just before the announcement of the polls. Shobha is taking on Congress candidate Jayaprakash Hegde and JD(S) candidate and her colleague, who shifted from KJP, Dhananjaya Kumar.
Coming back to the Congress, they have given tickets to only two women to contest. One from Belgaum and the other from Mandya. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has never completed his election speech without talking about women empowerment. But the Congress has given only two tickets to women. Even the party’s manifesto also talks about women empowerment.
leading Kannada actress Ramya is Congress’ candidate from Mandya. She is also the sitting MP from the constituency, having been elected to 15th lok Sabha in a by-election held in August last year. She is fighting a straight battle at Mandya, the heartland of Vokkaliga politics, with Puttaraju of the JD(S).
lakshmi Hebbalkar is the other woman candidate from Belgaum. Hebbalkar is presently serving as president of Belgaum Rural District Congress Committee. Karnataka is going to polls on April 17 and 435 candidates are in the fray.
The Congress and the BJP candidates are contesting in all the 28 constituencies and JD(S) candidates in 25 constituencies. The JD(S) has fielded three political debutantes — Geetha Shivrajkumar from Shimoga, Nandini Alva from Bangalore Central and Ruth Manorama from Bangalore South. Geetha Shivrajkumar is fielded against Yeddyurappa from Shimoga. Geetha is the daughter of former CM late S Bangarappa and wife of leading Kannada actor Shivarajkumar.
Nandini Alva will be taking on incumbent PC Mohan of the BJP and former Infosys board member V Balakrishnan of the AAP. Alva is the wife of former Minister Jeevraj Alva and mother-in-law of actor Vivek Oberoi who is campaigning for her.
Human rights activist Manorama will take on high-profile candidates like Ananth Kumar of the BJP and Nandan Nilekani of the Congress in Bangalore South. Another debutant woman candidate Nina P Nayak of the AAP is also in the fray from the constituency. AAP has fielded former Minister BT lalitha Nayak, who has roots in the Janata Parivar, from Gulbarga where she takes on Railway Minister Mallikarjuna Karge.
Nina P Nayak from Bangalore south and Padmamma MV from Mysore are the other two women candidates in the fray on behalf of AAP. Padmamma, a social activist will take on journalist Prathap Simha of the BJP and former Minister H Vishwanath of the Congress.