 "Only platitudes, not many tickets for women in Karnataka")
Platitudes notwithstanding, political parties are chary when it comes to giving representation to women in polls with the BJP fielding just one woman in the Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka and the Congress giving tickets to two women.
While parties have issued tickets to women candidates with either political or cinema background, winnability seems to be the top criterion. A few women-activists are also in the fray.
BJP, for whose Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, women safety is a major issue during his campaign across the country, has fielded just one woman -- Shobha Karandlaje --from Udupi-Chikmagalor Lok Sabha constituency in the state which returns 28 members to the Lower House of Parliament.
She will take on the incumbent Jayaprakash Hegde of the Congress and Dhananjay Kumar of the JDS.
Congress, whose poll campaign chief Rahul Gandhi talks of larger representation for women in Parliament has done just a shade better compared to BJP, giving tickets to two women.
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 bye-election held in August last year.
Lakshmi Hebbalkar is the other woman candidate from Belgaum. Hebbalkar is presently serving as President of Belgaum Rural District Congress Committee.
Faring better than the two main players, Deve Gowda's JDS and Aam Aadmi Party have fielded three women candidates each in the state.
While parties have issued tickets to women candidates with either political or cinema background, winnability seems to be the top criterion. A few women-activists are also in the fray.
BJP, for whose Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, women safety is a major issue during his campaign across the country, has fielded just one woman -- Shobha Karandlaje --from Udupi-Chikmagalor Lok Sabha constituency in the state which returns 28 members to the Lower House of Parliament.
Also Read
Karandlaje, who was energy minister during the last BJP Government, is a close confidant of former Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa. She returned to BJP with Yeddyurappa when the latter decided to merge Karnataka Janata Paksha with BJP.
She will take on the incumbent Jayaprakash Hegde of the Congress and Dhananjay Kumar of the JDS.
Congress, whose poll campaign chief Rahul Gandhi talks of larger representation for women in Parliament has done just a shade better compared to BJP, giving tickets to two women.
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 bye-election held in August last year.
Lakshmi Hebbalkar is the other woman candidate from Belgaum. Hebbalkar is presently serving as President of Belgaum Rural District Congress Committee.
Faring better than the two main players, Deve Gowda's JDS and Aam Aadmi Party have fielded three women candidates each in the state.