Citizen groups slam zero female representation in Karnataka Cabinet

Mangalore Today News Network

Bengaluru, Aug 6, 2026: The umbrella organisation Naveddu Nilladiddare, Karnataka (If We Do Not Rise, Karnataka), comprising 30 civil society groups, on Wednesday wrote to Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, strongly criticising the absence of women in his 33-member Cabinet.

In the letter, the organisation said it had earlier expressed concern when the first Cabinet was formed without a single woman minister but had hoped the Cabinet expansion would address the issue. Instead, it said, the expansion had further reinforced the exclusion of women.

"An all-male Cabinet is not an oversight. It is a political choice. It sends a clear message that women and women’s leadership remain dispensable when it comes to the exercise of state power," the letter stated.

The groups also highlighted that in the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections, the Congress won more than half of the 52 Assembly constituencies where women voters outnumbered men.

Calling the decision a disservice to the state, the organisation said it was inconsistent with the Congress party’s stated commitment to women’s empowerment. It noted that the party had supported the Women’s Reservation Act in Parliament and had pledged to ensure 33 per cent representation for women within its organisational structure.