BENGALURU: Following the reservation for women and Other Backwards Classes (OBC) in the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) elections 2026, political parties, including the Congress, BJP, and AAP, are gearing up to groom future women corporators, mayors, and deputy mayors.
On January 9, the state government published a draft notification of reservations for wards under the Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), OBC Category A and B, women, and general categories for elections across Bengaluru’s five city corporations. Notably, 175 out of 369 seats have been reserved for women.
Party leaders stated that while grooming workers is an ongoing process, efforts accelerate during election cycles. Special camps are being conducted to train women aspirants in everything from handling media and addressing public grievances to verifying the latest draft voters’ lists.
AN Nataraj Gowda, Congress Chief Spokesperson, told TNIE, “We have received around 1,800 applications so far, over 800 of which are from women. These applicants range from grassroots party workers to relatives of established politicians. They will be scrutinised and finalised before the elections are announced. Our media, social media, and manifesto committees are all involved in the grooming process.”
He added that because problems vary by ward, potential candidates are trained accordingly. “The media and social media wings train them on public speaking and digital presence. They are even taught to analyze voters’ lists to identify supporters or neutral voters,” he said.
Meanwhile, the AAP has received over 800 applications, including 500 from women. Ashok Mruthyunjaya, President of AAP’s Mahadevapura Assembly unit, said: “Our women’s wing is already grooming leaders. The focus is on training them to present facts to news channels, participate in debates, and solve issues at the grassroots and booth evels.
Bengaluru North BJP President S Harish noted that while the party has received over 150 applications, the final count of women is being tabulated. “The party has already held shibiras (camps) for aspirants and booth-level agents.
They have been trained to check the draft voters’ list for names and jurisdictions. A candidate’s credentials, party ideology, and their ability to highlight the opposition’s failures will play a major role in final selection,” he said.
Meanwhile, the JDS is yet to start on the election strategy. KA Thippeswamy, former JDS MLC, said: “It is difficult for the party to find potential candidates for the GBA elections, and historically our number of corporators in the city has been low. We are yet to call for applications. Once that is done, we shall begin training women leaders.”