Rajya Sabha bypoll: BJP nominee Rekha files paper, set to be elected unopposed
Rekha Sharma, 61, is poised to be elected unopposed as she is the sole candidate in the fray. The deadline for filing nominations ended on Tuesday; the returning officer will scrutinise the nomination papers on Wednesday
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) nominee and former National Commission for Women chief Rekha Sharma submitted her nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha bypoll from Haryana on Tuesday.
Sharma, 61, is poised to be elected unopposed as she is the sole candidate in the fray. The deadline for filing nominations ended on Tuesday. The returning officer will scrutinise the nomination papers on Wednesday.
Chief minister (CM) Nayab Singh Saini, state BJP chief Mohan Lal Badoli, cabinet minister Vipul Goel were among those who accompanied her when she submitted her papers before the returning officer at the Haryana Assembly Secretariat.
Several other prominent leaders, including cabinet ministers Krishan Lal Panwar, Rao Narbir Singh, Mahipal Dhanda, Shyam Singh Rana, Krishan Kumar Bedi, Shruti Choudhry, Arti Singh Rao, ministers of state Rajesh Nagar, and Gaurav Gautam, MLAs and BJP leaders were also present on this occasion.
Speaking to reporters after filing her nomination, Sharma thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP leadership for giving her another opportunity to serve the nation.
The BJP had on Monday announced Sharma’s name for the December 20 Rajya Sabha bypolls. The opposition has decided not to field a candidate
The BJP holds a majority with 48 MLAs in the 90-member Haryana assembly. The Congress has 37 members, the INLD has two, and three are independents who support the Saini-led BJP government.
The by-election was necessitated by the resignation of Krishan Lal Panwar, who was elected to Rajya Sabha in August 2022 but stepped down after winning an MLA seat in the assembly elections held in October. Panwar now serves as Haryana’s development and panchayat minister in the BJP government in Haryana.
Haryana has five Rajya Sabha seats. Currently, Ram Chander Jangra, Subhash Barala, and Kiran Choudhry represent the BJP in the Upper House, while Kartikeya Sharma is an independent member.
The CM described Sharma as a senior BJP leader who has worked tirelessly at the grassroots level to strengthen the party. He expressed confidence that she would effectively represent Haryana in the Rajya Sabha, contributing significantly to the state’s development.
Saini also highlighted Modi’s efforts to empower women through various schemes and policies. He noted that Haryana’s “double-engine government” is running numerous schemes for women, including self-help groups, the “Drone didi” programme, the “Lakhpati didi” initiative and programmes for women entrepreneurs.
