Bengaluru will host the first Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians special conference in India on November 17 and 18, bringing around 150 women parliamentarians and legislators from states and Union territories together to discuss cyber safety, legislative leadership and institutional support.
The conference will be held at the Vidhana Soudha Banquet Hall and is being organised in coordination with Parliament and the Karnataka Legislature, Karnataka Assembly Speaker G.S. Patil and Legislative Council Chairman Saleem Ahmed said at a joint press conference.
Women Members of Parliament, women Speakers and Deputy Speakers, presiding officers and women legislators are expected to attend. International representatives of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association will also participate, according to the organisers.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar are scheduled to inaugurate the conference on November 17. Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh, Karnataka minister G. Parameshwara and D. Purandeswari, president of the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians India Region, are also expected to attend.
The central theme of the conference will be “Cybersecurity and mentorship pathways for women parliamentarians”. Discussions will focus on protecting women representatives in the digital era and providing guidance and institutional support to women elected to legislatures for the first time, Saleem Ahmed said.
The programme will also examine women’s leadership in law-making and administration. Patil said the conference would provide a platform for exchanging new ideas, legislative practices and experiences, while Ahmed said the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians network works to promote women’s political representation, parliamentary leadership and gender equality.
The event places digital safety within the institutional experience of elected representatives. For women legislators, the organisers have linked cyber protection with mentorship and support mechanisms, indicating that participation in public life involves not only electoral representation but also access to guidance and secure digital working environments.
A special curtain-raiser programme is scheduled for November 14, when Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and Purandeswari are expected to unveil the official conference poster. Officials including Karnataka Legislative Assembly Secretary M.K. Vishalakshi and Legislative Council Secretary Jyothi attended the press conference.
The Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians conference will conclude its scheduled two-day programme on November 18, with representatives from across India and international parliamentary delegates participating in the discussions.
