Bhagirathi Murulya is an Indian politician who was first elected to office in 2023 as a member of the

Karnataka Legislative Assembly The Karnataka Legislative Assembly (formerly the Mysore Legislative Assembly) is the lower house of the bicameral legislature of the southern Indian state of Karnataka. Karnataka is one of the six states in India where the state legislature ...

representing the Sullia constituency. She is a member of the women's and children's welfare committee. This seat had previously been held for six terms by Angara S., before Murulya was selected as a BJP candidate. Murulya belongs to the Tulu-speaking

Adi Dravida Adi Dravida (or Adi Dravidar) is a term that has been used since 1914 in South India to denote Paraiyars. At the time of the 2011 Census of India, they made up about half of Tamil Nadu's Scheduled Caste population. Origin Iyothee Thass, a ...

community, and she was the poorest candidate to win a seat in the assembly. Murulya had worked as a tailor and a teacher before becoming a MLA. Murulya took the oath in the name of her family deity. Murulya, the BJP candidate secured the seventh consecutive victory for her party in Sullia, and became the first

Dalit Dalit ( from meaning "broken/scattered") is a term used for untouchables and outcasts, who represented the lowest stratum of the castes in the Indian subcontinent. They are also called Harijans. Dalits were excluded from the fourfold var ...

woman from

Tulu Nadu Tulu Nadu, or Tulunad, is a region and Proposed states and union territories of India, proposed state on the southwestern coast of India. The Tulu people, known as 'Tuluva' (pl. 'Tuluver') are speakers of Tulu language, Tulu, a Dravidian langu ...

to enter the legislative assembly. Sullia, one of 19 assembly segments in coastal Karnataka, was the only reserved constituency for a scheduled caste candidate in the election. She defeated her closest rival, Krishnappa from the Congress party, by 30,864 votes, and took 57% of the vote share. Murulya had previously served as a member of the councils (panchayat) for

Dakshina Kannada Dakshina Kannada district is located in the states and territories of India, state of Karnataka in India, with its headquarters in the coastal city of Mangaluru. The district covers an area nestled in between the Western Ghats to its east and the ...

zilla and

Sullia taluk Sullia taluk is a taluk of the Dakshina Kannada district of the Indian state of Karnataka. The headquarters is the town of Sullia. In 2012, the government of Karnataka has planned to set up a rubber factory in Sullia taluk. Village #Aletty A ...

References

Living people Tulu women politicians Tulu politicians Dalit politicians Karnataka MLAs 2023–2028 Bharatiya Janata Party politicians from Karnataka Year of birth missing (living people) {{Karnataka-BJP-politician-stub