Karnataka Gets Its Second Woman Governor: Sudha Yadav Takes Oath at Lok Bhavan

Dr Sudha Yadav, a former BJP MP whose life took a decisive turn after her husband was killed in the 1999 Kargil War, was sworn in as Karnataka Governor on Friday, marking a new chapter in her journey from academia to politics and public service.

Karnataka High Court Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru administered the oath at Lok Bhavan in Bengaluru in the presence of Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara, outgoing Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot and senior officials.

President Droupadi Murmu appointed the 61-year-old leader on October 12. She succeeds Gehlot, who had held the office since July 2021, and becomes Karnataka’s second woman Governor, after V S Ramadevi, who served from December 1999 to August 2002.

Yadav holds a doctorate in chemistry from IIT Roorkee, where she completed her postgraduate studies before earning her PhD in 1992. Reports have also highlighted her academic achievements, including a gold medal during her studies.

Her entry into politics followed the death of her husband, Sukhbir Singh Yadav, a Deputy Commandant in the Border Security Force who was killed during the Kargil conflict and posthumously awarded the Sena Medal.

In 1999, the BJP fielded her from Haryana’s Mahendragarh Lok Sabha constituency. She defeated prominent political leader Rao Inderjit Singh by approximately 1.39 lakh votes, winning Parliament in her first electoral contest. She represented the constituency until 2004 but subsequently failed to return to the Lok Sabha in later elections.

Yadav continued to rise within the BJP organisation. She served on the National Commission for Backward Classes from 2019 to 2022 and was inducted into the party’s Central Parliamentary Board and Central Election Committee in August 2022. She became only the second woman after Sushma Swaraj to serve on the BJP’s Parliamentary Board.

As Governor, Yadav will discharge constitutional responsibilities involving the state legislature and government, with her tenure closely watched amid the relationship between Karnataka’s Congress government and the BJP-led Centre.