Women power all the way for the ruling BJP in the Rajya Sabha election for the three seats from Madhya Pradesh. BJP leader Kavita Patidar and Sumitra Valmiki filed their nominations for the Rajya Sabha elections in Bhopal on Tuesday.
Ms Patidar is the daughter of former minister and assembly Deputy Speaker Bherulal Patidar, and is currently BJP state general secretary.
Ms Valmiki is a three-time municipal councillor from Jabalpur.
With the two women leaders, the BJP is looking to strike a balance between caste and gender representation on the vacant seats, with an eye in the upcoming Gujarat elections.
Ms Patidar is from the Other Backward Classes, or OBC, which has a major presence in the state's Malwa-Nimar region.
Ms Valmiki is from the Scheduled Castes, or SC, category and has been a grassroot worker of the BJP since early the 1990s.
The party has left candidates like Kailash Vijayvargiya, Jaibhan Singh Pavaiya and former minister Lal Singh Arya in favour of the two women candidates for the elections to the upper house.
"Forget about her having sought a Rajya Sabha ticket, Sumitra Valmiki had not even dreamt of getting a Rajya Sabha berth. Filling her nomination form was the easiest as all she has is a small house, which too is owned by her husband," Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said.
"She comes from a poor Valmiki caste family. I told the collector last night to have a look and send them to reach properly. So in the morning I came to know that there is nothing worth filling in the form because they do not have anything," Mr Chouhan said.
"But she is a popular leader, owing to which she has not only won the municipal polls in Jabalpur thrice, but has also been once an alderman and once a chairperson of the Jabalpur Municipal Corporation. We feel proud to be part of the party, which is not only party of big leaders and faces, but honours its grassroot workers by making them lawmakers," the Chief Minister said.
By fielding women candidates on both seats, the ruling party has tried to consolidate its base among women voters, who played a crucial role recently in the party's success in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand assembly elections, and have often been seen as the mainstay of the BJP's success in Madhya Pradesh as well.
In the 230-strong Madhya Pradesh assembly with 127 members, the Congress has 96 members. The BJP candidates and Congress MP and Supreme Court lawyer Vivek Tankha are likely to be elected to the Rajya Sabha on June 10.
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