BJP's Shobha Karandlaje Makes History As First Woman MP In Bengaluru

In the last 17 Lok Sabha elections, Bengaluru has never had a woman Member of Parliament. However, this year, Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Shobha Karandlaje of Bengaluru North made history as she broke this 73-year-old dry spell. Karandlaje, who was serving as the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmer's Welfare, won by a margin of 2,59,476 votes, defeating Congress candidate M V Rajeev Gowda. The 57-year-old will replace long-time BJP minister D V Sadananda Gowda.

According to the Election Commission, Karandlaje secured 9,86,049 votes, while Rajeev Gowda got 7,26,573. This marks her third consecutive win as MP, as she had previously twice won the former Udupi-Chikmagalur segments. While the minister was dubbed an ‘outsider’ in Bengaluru North, she managed to win by a good margin.

ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು ಉತ್ತರ ಲೋಕಸಭಾ ಕ್ಷೇತ್ರದಲ್ಲಿ ಅಭೂತಪೂರ್ವ ವಿಜಯ ಸಾಧಿಸಿದ ಹಿನ್ನೆಲೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಹೆಬ್ಬಾಳದ ಚುನಾವಣಾ ಕಛೇರಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಸಿಹಿ ಹಂಚಿ, ವಿಜಯೋತ್ಸವ ಆಚರಿಸಲಾಯಿತು‌. pic.twitter.com/8H1GwNYyU3

— Shobha Karandlaje (Modi Ka Parivar) (@ShobhaBJP) June 4, 2024

Karandlaje sparked a debate during polling season when she made a controversial remark about the Rameswaram Cafe blast incident in Bengaluru in March. The BJP leader alleged in a media interview that a person from the neighbouring State of Tamil Nadu was responsible for the IED attack.

Two Women Battled To Be Bengaluru's First Woman MP

With the voters' burgeoning demand for more female members in the parliament, Shobha Karandlaje and Congress' Sowmya Reddy of Bengaluru South took centre stage in Bengaluru for the Lok Sabha elections in 2024. Ahead of the elections, political leaders and experts in Karnataka highlighted the importance of the representation of women in politics.

Former mayor Gangambike Mallikarjun told The New Indian Express, how social philosopher Basavanna had stressed the importance of women in leadership. "Considering this, we should have had many women leaders in top positions in the country. But, women are yet to get their proper share of representation in all elected bodies," the Congress leader said.

Sharing her own experience with gender discrimination in politics, Mallikarjun narrated, "I was Bengaluru mayor and had also worked in many positions not only in the party but also in various associations and organisations. Just because I am a woman, I was not given a ticket for Chickpet." She stated how this disparity is costing Bengaluru effective leadership.

"Bengaluru has unique problems and women candidates can tackle them effectively by not getting influenced by any vested interests," Mallikarjun told TNIE. She emphasised the need for reservation for women in politics. Notably, the Women's Reservation Bill was passed by President Droupadi Murmu in 2023, giving 33% reservation to women in Parliament.