Archive · 6 Aug 2026
Karnataka women's groups slam all-male cabinet, write to Shivakumar
In Karnataka, a state in India, the Cabinet is a group of leaders who help run the government.
Right now, all of the Cabinet members are men.
Many women's groups thought that was unfair.
So 30 groups joined together and wrote a letter to the Chief Minister, D.K. Shivakumar.
The letter asked him to add women to the Cabinet.
It is called 'Is This No State for Women?'
The groups said leaving women out was a choice, not a mistake.
They reminded the leaders that almost half of the voters in Karnataka are women.
The groups say the government promised that women would get a fair share of leadership jobs.
They will keep asking until women are included.
A coalition of 30 women's and feminist organisations under Naveddu Nilladiddare, Karnataka, wrote an open letter to Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Wednesday criticising the all-male state Cabinet.
The letter, titled 'Is This No State for Women?', called the all-male Cabinet 'not an oversight, but a political choice.'
Shivakumar expanded the Cabinet on Monday with 19 new ministers, all of them men, taking the oath.
The groups noted that women constitute nearly half of Karnataka's electorate and that Congress won more than half of the 52 Assembly constituencies where women voters outnumbered men in the 2023 elections.
The groups demanded the immediate induction of qualified women ministers, citing reports that Congress MLC Gayathri Shanthegowda was dropped from the final list.
- Who
- A coalition of 30 women's and feminist organisations under Naveddu Nilladiddare, Karnataka, and Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar.
- What
- An open letter was written sharply criticising the all-male state Cabinet and demanding the immediate induction of women ministers.
- When
- Wednesday, following Monday's Cabinet expansion in which 19 new ministers, all men, took the oath.
- Where
- Karnataka, India; the letter was issued from Bengaluru.
- Why
- Women constitute nearly half of Karnataka's electorate, and the all-male Cabinet contradicts Congress's stated commitment to women's empowerment and its promise of 33 per cent representation.
Advocates for Women's Representation
Government/Selection Process Defenders
Cabinet Composition
Advocates for Women's Representation
An all-male Cabinet is a deliberate political choice that excludes women from the highest decision-making body and contradicts promises of women's empowerment.
Government/Selection Process Defenders
Cabinet appointments are made through political negotiations and selection processes, where gender balance may not be the sole or controlling consideration.
Women's Electoral Mandate
Advocates for Women's Representation
Since women are nearly half the electorate and Congress won seats where women voters outnumbered men, women's claims to Cabinet seats are politically justified.
Government/Selection Process Defenders
Electoral support from women does not automatically translate into a specific entitlement to ministerial posts in the state government.
Party Commitments
Advocates for Women's Representation
The exclusion contradicts the party's support for the Women's Reservation Act and its 33 per cent representation promise, treating women's leadership as expendable.
Government/Selection Process Defenders
Party promises and broader legislative commitments exist alongside practical, negotiated decisions about who joins the Cabinet in a given expansion.
- Letter Title
- Is This No State for Women?
- Signatories
- 30 organisations including women's groups, labour unions, transgender and intersex collectives
- Cabinet Expansion
- 19 new ministers sworn in on Monday, all of them men
- Women's Share of Electorate
- Nearly half of Karnataka's electorate
- Congress Constituency Wins
- Won more than half of the 52 Assembly constituencies where women voters outnumbered men in 2023
- Promise Cited
- 33 per cent representation to women and support for the Women's Reservation Act
- Reported Dropped Candidate
- Congress MLC Gayathri Shanthegowda
- Key Criticism
- All-male Cabinet is 'not an oversight, but a political choice'
