Bangalore Elects Vegan Legislative Member

Animal-rights activist Sowmya Reddy recently became the only female elected Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in the Jayanagar district of Bangalore, India, beating her competitor by a total of 2,887 votes. The vegan politician—who was a member at Animal Welfare Board of India for three years—announced several initiatives she plans to pursue as Bangalore’s elected representative. “We have to go back to the basics,” Sowmya told local media outlet The News Minute. “Cloth bags, carrying a steel bottle in our cars or bags … that’s how the previous generations used to live. Though it will take some effort, it’s a choice I think we all need to make to fulfil our civic responsibility.” In 2015, Sowmya and husband Abhishek Raje Wiki hosted an eco-friendly vegan wedding where the couple replaced milk and ghee with plant-based dairy products.