RS bypoll: BJP's Haryana candidate Kiran Choudhry files nomination

BJP leader Kiran Choudhry on Wednesday filed her nomination for the Rajya Sabha bypoll from Haryana, with some JJP rebel MLAs also extending support to her candidature.

Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, state BJP president Mohan Lal Badoli, several party MLAs, the party's co-incharge for the state Biplab Kumar Deb and some JJP rebels were among those present when Choudhry submitted her nomination papers.

Wednesday was the last day for filing nominations for the Rajya Sabha bypoll.

The BJP named Choudhry as its nominee for the bypoll shortly after she resigned from the Assembly on Tuesday, nearly two months after she switched over from the Congress.

She represented the Tosham seat in the Haryana Assembly.

Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda had earlier said his party would not field a candidate for the Rajya Sabha seat as it did not have the numbers.

Though BJP has numbers on its side in case of a contest, with the opposition unlikely to field a candidate, Choudhry appears set to enter the Upper House unopposed.

Speaking to reporters after Choudhry filed her nomination, Chief Minister Saini said apart from the BJP MLAs, some legislators from other parties have also extended support to her candidature.

"(JJP rebels) Jogi Ram Sihag, Ram Niwas Surjakhera, Ram Kumar Gautam and Anoop Dhanak, (Independent MLA) Nayan Pal Rawat and (Haryana Lokhit Party chief) Gopal Kanda have given their support letter," he said.

In response to a question, Saini said the party was unanimous over Choudhry's candidature for the Rajya Sabha bypoll in Haryana.

She has a long experience in politics and has a vision for her state, the chief minister said.

The bypoll for the lone Rajya Sabha seat in Haryana was necessitated after Congress leader Deepender Singh Hooda was elected to the Lok Sabha from Rohtak. His Rajya Sabha term was to end in April 2026.

A former Haryana minister, Choudhry (69) joined the BJP along with her daughter Shruti and their supporters in June.

Choudhry thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Ministers Amit Shah, Manohar Lal Khattar, the party's senior leadership and Haryana Chief Minister Saini for her nomination. She thanked MLAs of the BJP and other parties who supported her candidature.

In response to a question, Choudhry said she may have spent 45 years in the Congress, but now she is with the BJP and will serve the party until her last breath.

The BJP's Rajya Sabha candidate said that she belongs to the family of Chaudhary Bansi Lal, who ran a government in Haryana, in alliance with the BJP in the 1990s.

"We have old relations with the BJP and I was impressed with their policies... The BJP works in the state's and nation's interest and it is my fortune to be associated with it," she said.

Elections to 12 vacant Rajya Sabha seats in nine states will be held on September 3. Scrutiny of nomination papers will take place on August 22 while candidates can withdraw their nominations until August 27.