Padmavathi unsuccessfully fought the 2008 Karnataka Legislative Assembly election from the Rajajinagar constituency on an Indian National Congress ticket and lost to three term member of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly and Ex-minister in the Government of Karnataka S. Suresh Kumar of the Bharatiya Janata Party by about 14000 votes.
[4] In September 2016 she contested in the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) election as a candidate of Indian National Congress (INC).
[5] Indian National Congress selected her as the mayor candidate just before the election.
Her closest competitor D.H. Lakshmi of Bharatiya Janata Party secured 120 votes.
[1][7] On 25 October 2016, she conducted a meeting with city municipal officers where she asked to give special attention towards public grievances.