Shobha Karandlaje: Outspoken politician from Puttur who does not mince words on issues like religious extremism, love jihad

Bengaluru: An outspoken politician who does not mince words on issues she strongly feels about, Shobha Karandlaje, once considered as a close confidant of state BJP strongman and Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, was a surprise pick in the Union cabinet expansion Wednesday.

A two-time Lok Sabha member from Udupi-Chikmagalur, she is also the state BJP vice president. With an RSS background, she has grown through the ranks.

Incidentally, Karandlaje is from the politically-influential Vokkaliga community in southern Karnataka, to which Sadananda Gowda who resigned from the union cabinet today, also belongs to.

As someone who had wielded a considerable amount of influence during the previous BJP rule under Yediyurappa, 54-year-old Karandlaje has by and large remained in her constituency in recent times, and there was an element of surprise in her induction.

Born on October 23, 1966 at Puttur in Dakshina Kannada district, her educational qualification includes M.A. (Sociology) and Master of Social Work. She is unmarried.

Karandlaje was MLC from 2004 – 2008, MLA from 2008 – 2013, and served as Minister for Rural Development & Panchayati Raj, Power, and Food and Civil Supplies during the previous BJP government.

Under attack from dissident MLAs then, led by the mining baron Reddy brothers, for her being accorded “prominence” by chief minister Yediyurappa and her “interfering” with the functioning of other ministries, Karandlaje was forced to resign as minister in November 2009, as the dissidence threatened the stability of the then BJP government.

She was, however, inducted back into the cabinet by Yediyurappa in September, 2010.

Karandlaje followed her mentor when Yediyurappa quit the BJP and floated the KJP in 2012 and was appointed its working president. She had unsuccessfully contested the 2013 assembly election from Rajajinagar.

However, she along with Yediyurappa returned to BJP fold, and contested the 2014 parliamentary election from Udupi-Chikmagalur constituency as the party’s candidate and won.

Interestingly, unlike last time around, Karandlaje is not seen among the inner circles of Yediyurappa in the present government, amid reports about soured relationship between the two, and the chief minister’s younger son B Y Vijayendra’s growing influence.

She was quite vocal on issues such as religious extremism, ”love jihad”, and alleged killing of Hindu activists.