While campaigning for his daughter-in-law Prabha Mallikarjun, who is the Congress's candidate on the seat, senior Congress MLA Shamanur Shivshankarappa aimed at Gayathri Siddeshwara the BJP candidate from the Davangere LS seat and made a controversial statement against her. The MLA said, “She doesn’t even know how to speak properly. She is fit to cook food at home and doesn’t have strength for public speaking.” Over this badminton player Saina Nehwal hit out at the MLA and termed his remark as “sexist”. Similarly, Deputy CM DK Shivkumar slammed MLA's statement and said, “I strongly condemn any statement that remotely reeks of sexism and misogyny, coming from anyone.” DKS in his tweet added, “Congress’ five guarantee schemes and the new Akka café scheme are testaments to our ideology that we respect women.”
The BJP has lodged a complaint with the Election Commission against the Congress MLA over his remark. Gayathri Siddeshwara demanded an apology from Congress over the MLA's remark and found this a habitual behaviour of the party. Reacting to Shivashankarappa's remark against her, Gayathri Siddeshwara accused the Congress of having a typical traditional conventional mindset that speaks so lowly for women. "I asked what profession women are not in today? The old man doesn't know how much women have progressed; he doesn't know the love with which all women cook at home. But along with that, they fly fighter jet planes, they go into space. This is the kind of woman that India is producing. PM Modi has helped women grow and become independent," said Siddeshwara.Karnataka BJP Vice President Malavika Avinash said, “It was "surprising" that Shamanur Shivashankarappa made such remarks as the Congress leader's daughter-in-law is also in the fray. I am really surprised that he should have spoken in such a lowly manner to another lady who is contesting from that constituency.”