She served the Bharatiya Janata Party organisation in various capacities before being elected as an MLC in 2004.

She was elected as MLA from Yeswanthpur, Bangalore in May 2008 and was appointed the minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj in the B S Yeddyurappa govt.

[10] She resigned in 2009 due to a political crisis but was re-instated in 2010 and was entrusted with the Energy portfolio.

She was the power minister in the Jagadish Shettar ministry[11] and also had the additional charge of the Food and Civil Supplies department.

She then contested the 2014 Indian general election from Udupi Chikmagalur constituency and won by a margin of 1.81 lakh votes.