Kodava women on top in Kodagu politics

It is a matter of pride that, of late, Kodava women have been elected to important public offices in Kodagu.
The latest Kodava woman to hit the headline is Kechamada Sarita Poonacha who has been elected president of Virajpet Taluk Panchayat.
While Sarita will head the Taluk Panchayat, Kallira Kanthi Belliappa is heading the Virajpet Pattana Panchayat (municipality). Kanthi has been pro-active in the public affairs of Virajpet town.
While the two Kodava women are ruling the roost at Virajpet, Kelettira Chitra Nanaya has been elected vice-president of Madikeri Taluk Panchayat in the recent elections.
Shantheyanda Veena Achaiah has been a prominent of leader of the Congress in Kodagu for the past few years now and she is at present the president of the Kodagu unit of the party.
It is not just Kodava women who are making waves in Kodagu, but even non-Kodava women too have been in the forefront.
Deerghakeshi Shivanna recently stepped down as Kodagu Zilla Panchayat president after successfully completing a full term.
H.S. Subhashini is the new president of the Madikeri taluk panchayat and Geetha Basappa is the vice-president of the Somwarpet taluk panchayat.
Though the present political set-up is not conducive for women to enter politics in Kodagu, women have managed to become office-bearers by virtue of the reservation for women under the panchayat raj system.
Among the Kodava women who have been successful in public life include, Bollera Jajie Mandanna (in picture above), well-known consumer activist and former president of the Bangalore Kodava Samaja and Ms. Ichettira Prema Cariappa, former Bangalore mayor and Rajya Sabha member.