Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Laxmi Verma and Congress candidate and sitting Rajya Sabha Member Phulodevi Netam have filed their nominations for Rajya Sabha polls at Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly premises in Nava Raipur Atal Nagar on the last day of the nomination, on Thursday. BJP candidate Laxmi Verma along with Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, Union Minister of State Tokhan Sahu, BJP State President Kiran Singh Deo, Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma, Cabinet Ministers Kedar Kadhyap, Gajendra Yadav, MPs Brijmohan Agrawal, Santosh Pandey, Vijay Baghel, BJP MLAs and BJP leaders reached the Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly premises and she filed her nominations for the Rajya Sabha polls. Congress candidate and current Rajya Sabha Member Phulodevi Netam along Leader of Opposition in Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly Dr Charan Das Mahant, State Congress President Deepak Baij, Congress MLAs and Congress leaders filed her nominations for the Rajya Sabha polls. BJP candidate Verma submitted her nominations in three sets while Congress candidate Netam submitted her nominations in two sets. Talking to media persons after filing her nominations, BJP candidate Laxmi Verma expressed gratitude towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP National President Nitin Nabin, Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, BJP State President Kiran Singh Deo, senior BJP leaders and MLAs for fielding her as a Rajya Sabha candidate from Chhattisgarh.

 

Laxmi Verma assured that she would discharge her duties with responsibilities. Talking to media persons after filing her nominations, Congress candidate Phulodevi Netam expressed her gratitude towards Congress National President Mallikarjun Mapanna Kharge, senior Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, State Congress President Deepak Baij, CLP leader Dr Charan Das Mahant, former Deputy Chief Minister T S Singhdeo and other senior Congress leaders for nominating again her as a Congress candidate for Rajya Sabha polls. Netam said that she would continue to discharge her responsibilities assigned by the party. She said that she would raise the issues of the Chhattisgarh in Parliament. Biennial elections for two Rajya Sabha seats from Chhattisgarh will be held on March 16, following the vacancy of seats held by Congress members Kavi Tejpal Singh Tulsi and Phulodevi Netam, whose tenures end in the month of April, 2026. Candidates can withdraw by 3 pm, on March 9. Voting will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on March 16, with counting starting at 5 p.m. the same day. The entire process will conclude by March 20. Only elected members of the State Legislative Assembly vote in Rajya Sabha elections, sending new members to the Upper House for six-year term. In Chhattisgarh, 90 MLAs will vote: 54 from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), 35 from the Indian National Congress (INC), and one from the Gondwana Ganatantra Party (GGP).

 

Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai and BJP State President kiran Singh Deo have congratulated Laxmi Verma for the nomination. It may be mentioned that only two candidates- namely Laxmi Verma and Phulodevi Netam filed their nominations for the Rajya Sabha polls. After scrutiny, the nominations of both candidates were found valid. In this way, Phulodevi Netam and Laxmi Verma have been elected unopposed as the Rajya Sabha Member. But Returning Officer Manish Sharma will officially declare the result of the Rajya Sabha polls on March 9.