Pushpa Amarnath is state Cong women’s wing chief

Mysuru-based B Pushpa Amarnath has been appointed as president of the Karnataka Pradesh Mahila Congress, the party’s women’s wing in the state.

A former Mysuru ZP president, Amarnath will replace Belgaum Rural legislator Lakshmi Hebbalkar. Amarnath’s appointment was cleared by Congress president Rahul Gandhi.

Hebbalkar was appointed the party’s women’s wing chief in 2015. Soon after her election as a legislator, Hebbalkar resigned from the post a few months ahead of her four-year tenure. She rejected reports that she was sacked, clarifying that she stepped down from the post voluntarily.

Recently, Hebbalkar was involved in a bitter feud with the Jarkiholi brothers. She is also said to be a ministerial aspirant. Puspha Amarnath has served as All India Congress Committee member, KPCC secretary, and Karnataka Pradesh Mahila Congress Committee general secretary. She is also serving as the state co-convenor of Rajiv Gandhi Panchayati Raj Sangathan (RGPRS). She holds a PhD in Botany from the University of Mysore and won the Young Scientist Award at the fourth international conference on 'Medicinal Plants and Herbal Products' held at Johns Hopkins University in Rockville, US.