Raipur, March 9 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Laxmi Verma and Congress nominee Phulo Devi Netam were unopposed elected to the Rajya Sabha from Chhattisgarh on Monday, a state Assembly official said.
Verma and Netam had filed nominations for the March 16 biennial polls to the Rajya Sabha. They were the only candidates in the fray for the two seats of the Upper House of Parliament that were vacant next month, and hence were elected without a contest on the last day of withdrawal of nominations.
"The deadline for withdrawal of nominations ended this (Monday) afternoon, and the two candidates were elected unopposed," the official said.
Returning Officer Manish Sharma later handed over the election certificates to Verma and Netam at the Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly premises.
Verma (59), an OBC leader from the influential Kurmi community, had resigned as a member of the Chhattisgarh State Women Commission after being nominated by the BJP for the Rajya Sabha polls.
Originally from the Balodabazar-Bhatapara district, she currently resides in Raipur. Verma began her political career with the BJP in 1990 and was elected as a member of the Raipur Municipal Corporation in 1994.
She was president of the Raipur Zila Panchayat from 2010 to 2015 and also served as state BJP vice-president and spokesperson.
Ruling party leaders described Verma as an experienced grassroots leader with a deep understanding of rural politics.
Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai congratulated Verma and expressed confidence that she would strongly raise issues concerning Chhattisgarh in the Upper House of Parliament.
"Heartfelt congratulations and best wishes for a successful tenure to senior BJP leader and former member of the State Women Commission, Laxmi Verma, on being elected unopposed as a Rajya Sabha MP from Chhattisgarh," Sai said in a social media post.
The CM hoped Verma would emerge as a strong voice for the state and raise issues related to Chhattisgarh's interest in the Rajya Sabha with commitment and assertiveness.
Sai affirmed her rich political experience and leadership ability would make a significant contribution to realizing the vision of a "Developed India and Developed Chhattisgarh".
Netam (54), a tribal leader from the Kondagaon district in the Bastar region, has been elected to the Rajya Sabha for a second consecutive term. She was first elected as an MLA in 1998 to the Assembly of undivided Madhya Pradesh.
Following the formation of Chhattisgarh in 2000, she became a member of the state's first Legislative Assembly. Since 2016, Netam has been serving as president of the Chhattisgarh Pradesh Mahila Congress Committee and has held several key positions in the Opposition party.
State Congress chief Deepak Baij congratulated Netam and shared pictures of her receiving the election certificate.
In a Facebook post, Baij said Netam received her certificate of election as a Rajya Sabha MP in the presence of Leader of Opposition Charandas Mahant, party MLAs and Congress workers, and extended his best wishes to her.
Of the five Rajya Sabha members from the state, the six-year term of two of them – Kavi Tejpal Singh Tulsi and Netam, both from the Congress, is set to expire on April 9, necessitating elections to fill the vacancies.
The other Rajya Sabha members from the state are: Ranjeet Ranjan and Rajiv Shukla (both from Congress) and Devendra Pratap Singh (BJP).
In the 90-member Assembly, the BJP has 54 MLAs, followed by the Congress (35) and the Gondwana Gantantra Party (1). Based on their strength in the House, both BJP and the Congress were expected to secure one Rajya Sabha seat each.
State assembly members form the electoral college for the Rajya Sabha polls.