Bangalore: 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.
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.
