The Bharatiya Janata Party State unit’s firebrand woman face, Shobha Karandlaje, has come back with a bang to hold a ministerial office at the Centre after staying out of power for eight and a half years.
The 54-year-old Ms. Karandlaje had been out of power ever since she stepped down as Karnataka’s Energy Minister in 2013 to join the Karnataka Janata Party floated by B.S. Yediyurappa.
Ms. Karandlaje’s political growth began after she was made an MLC in 2004. She was made RDPR Minister when the BJP formed its first government in Karnataka in 2008. But she had to abruptly step down in 2009 due to political crisis gripping the party following rebellion by the Ballari Reddy brothers who controlled the mining lobby. However, she was reinstated in 2010 and given the Energy portfolio.
Though this quick growth was attributed to her close association with Mr. Yediyurappa, even her critics had to admit that she gained a grip over administration. In fact, she was the first woman to handle Energy portfolio and was given credit for handling the complex power sector. The work in the RDPR Department by Ms. Karandlaje, who has a postgraduation degree in social work, also won her recognition.
Though she suffered a defeat in the 2013 Assembly elections from Rajajinagar, Ms. Karandlaje won the Lok Sabha election from Udupi-Chikkamagaluru seat in 2014 after she rejoined the BJP. She managed to get re-elected from the seat in 2019.
In the last one year, according to leaders close to her, she has been trying to come out of the political shadow and grow independently. “In fact, this change in her functioning style was one of the reasons that worked in her favour,” observed a party functionary.
Deletes tweets
Interestingly, just as she was sworn in into the ministry, she deleted a series of her old tweets. Many of her past tweets have reflected a Hindutva hardline ideological stance.
Being a firebrand politician, she has detractors both inside and outside the party. However, leaders close to her say this is not uncommon and that their number may, in fact, reduce now as her focus would be on the new responsibility.
