The Hindu : Karnataka News : A constituency that has mostly favoured women

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Wednesday, Apr 23, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka

A constituency that has mostly favoured women

Shankar Bennur

Srirangapatna has been described as ‘reserved’ for women

Only women candidates have won from Srirangapatna since 1989
Damayanthi Boregowda was the first woman elected in 1974

SRIRANGAPATNA: Srirangapatna, a historic town in Mandya district, has been described as a constituency “reserved” for women candidates although there is no reservation as such fixed by the Delimitation Commission of India.

Interestingly, women have represented Srirangapatna, which is enclosed by the Cauvery to form an island, in the Assembly since 1989.

A woman was first elected from the constituency in 1974. It was Damayanthi Boregowda of the Indian National Congress.

Women candidates belonging to the Congress and the Janata Dal have been elected from the constituency since1989, thereby giving the constituency a name as the one “reserved for women”.

Ms. Damayanthi Boregowda was once again elected from the constituency in 1989 on the Congress ticket, defeating Vijayalakshmamma of the Janata Party.

Vijayalakshmi Bandisidde Gowda of the Janata Dal won from the segment in 1994, defeating K.S. Nanjunde Gowda (independent).

Parvathamma Srikantaiah of the Congress won the election in 1999 defeating Mr Nanjunde Gowda, who, this time, contested under the banner of the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS).

Ms. Vijayalakshmi Bandisidde Gowda, who contested on a Janata Dal (S) ticket, won the election in 2004, defeating Mr. Nanjunde Gowda, who lost for the third time since 1999.

Ms. Vijayalakshmi Bandisidde Gowda’s husband, A.S. Bandisidde Gowda, had won the election in 1983 and 1985 on the Janata Party ticket, while Ms. Parvathamma Srikantaiah’s husband, A.C. Srikantaiah, won none of the elections he faced as an independent and also on the Congress ticket. He finished runner-up in the 1985 election.

For the 2008 election too, the Janata Dal (S) has fielded Ms. Vijayalakshmi Bandisidde Gowda from the constituency. The BJP, which is not a major force in Mandya district, has continued the “tradition” of fielding women candidates in the constituency by opting for Puja Santosh.

It is the Congress which has not considered fielding a woman candidate in the constituency as it has announced its ticket for Ravindra Srikantaiah, son of Ms. Parvathamma Srikantaiah, who reportedly made way for her son to build a political career.

However, in the wake of disappointment among the Congress workers in Mandya over the selection of candidates for seven constituencies, the party is likely to consider the candidature of M.H. Ambareesh, who had aspired to contest from Srirangapatna, dropping Mr. Ravindra Srikantaiah from the race.

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