Soumya Reddy resigns as K’taka Mahila Congress Chief

CH NEWS, BENGALURU In a major internal development that has sent ripples through political circles across Karnataka, Soumya Reddy has officially stepped down from her position as the President of the Karnataka Pradesh Mahila Congress. The former MLA submitted her resignation letter to All India Mahila Congress Chief Alka Lamba, explicitly drawing attention to the glaring absence of female representation and the complete lack of women ministers in the state cabinet. Having completed a committed two-year tenure since her initial appointment, Reddy chose to address the long-standing internal discontent regarding gender parity within the ruling party. In her formal communication, which was dispatched to party authorities, she underscored that despite repeated assurances from various high-command figures and state leadership, capable women leaders have continuously been sidelined when it comes to ministerial berths and key executive decision-making roles. The timing of the disclosure has reignited fierce debates within Congress forums, especially given previous public controversies where senior party managers had taken personal responsibility for the lack of gender balance in the ministry. Critics and opposition parties have frequently lambasted the state government for failing to match its progressive welfare rhetoric with substantive political empowerment for women at the highest levels of governance. Despite stepping down from her executive organizational post, Reddy has adopted a conciliatory and disciplined stance regarding her future political path. She clarified that she will continue to discharge her duties as the head of the state's women's wing until the central leadership officially names and transitions a successor. Reaffirming her unwavering dedication to the party's core ideology, Reddy pledged to remain an active and loyal grassroots worker, aiming to mobilize women voters and secure a strong mandate for the party in the upcoming 2028 Karnataka Legislative Assembly elections and the subsequent 2029 general polls.