The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has named Laxmi Verma as its Rajya Sabha candidate from Chhattisgarh, as part of a list of nominees released for six states. The announcement is being seen as a clear endorsement of Chief Minister Vishnu Dev Sai's preference, following internal deliberations over the past few weeks.
According to party sources, a panel of seven names was discussed before three were shortlisted: Laxmi Verma, Narayan Chandel, and Krishnamurthy Bandhi. After consultations at the central level, the BJP high command finalised the candidature of 55-year-old Verma.
Originally from Mudpar village in Simga block of Balodabazar district, Verma has been associated with the BJP since 1990 as a primary member. Her rise within the party structure has been gradual and rooted in organizational work.
In 2000, she was appointed as the Member of Parliament's representative of Raipur MP Ramesh Bais. A year later, she was elected to the BJP Mahila Morcha Working Committee, a position she held for four years.
Between 2010 and 2014, she served on the National Working Committee of the BJP Panchayati Raj Cell. From 2010 to 2022, she was also a member of the BJP Mahila Morcha Working Committee. From 2021 to 2025, she held the post of State Vice President of the BJP in Chhattisgarh and was entrusted with responsibilities as Gariaband Organization Incharge and BJP Media Spokesperson between 2021 and 2024.
Laxmi Verma's public life began early. She was elected as a councillor from Ward No 7 of the Raipur Municipal Corporation in 1994. In 2010, she became the president of the Raipur District Panchayat. Since October 7, 2024, she has been a member of the Chhattisgarh State Women's Commission.
Beyond party politics, Verma has maintained a strong presence in social organizations. She became the president of Shakti Mahila Manch, Raipur in 1998 and received the District Youth Award from Nehru Yuva Kendra, Raipur in 1999.
Over the years, she has been associated with the Labor Rehabilitation Committee in Raipur, served as Chief Patron of the Chhattisgarh Ekta Mazdoor Kalyan Sangh since 2009, and acted as an advisory member of the Family Court, Raipur since 2011. She has also held leadership positions in the All India Panchayat Parishad and the Chhattisgarh Scout Guides.
Verma is considered influential within the Manwa Kurmi community. She has held several key positions within the community organization at state and national levels and currently serves as National General Secretary of the All India Kurmi Kshatriya Mahasabha Women's Wing.
Political observers say the BJP leadership was keen to give representation to "Matru Shakti" this time, and Verma's consistent grassroots engagement and organizational loyalty worked in her favour. Her nomination also reflects a balance between caste representation, women's leadership, and long-term party service.
Chhattisgarh currently has five Rajya Sabha members. Two seats are falling vacant on April 9, 2026, currently held by Congress leaders Phoolodevi Netam and KTS Tulsi. Two other Congress MPs, Rajiv Shukla and Ranjeet Ranjan, have terms until June 29, 2028. BJP's Devendra Pratap Singh will continue until April 2, 2030.
With 90 MLAs in the Chhattisgarh Assembly and two Rajya Sabha seats vacant, the winning quota is calculated as 90 divided by (2 + 1) plus 1, which equals 31. This means a candidate requires at least 31 first-preference votes to secure victory. Given the current strength of the BJP in the Assembly, Laxmi Verma's election is widely seen as assured once voting takes place.
