Rajya Sabha bypolls: Ex-NCW chief Rekha Sharma fielded from Haryana as BJP names 3 candidates

New Delhi: The BJP on Monday announced three candidates, including former National Commission for Women chief Rekha Sharma from Haryana, for the December 20 Rajya Sabha bypolls.

The party also fielded Ryaga Krishnaiah from Andhra Pradesh and Sujeet Kumar from Odisha, the two leaders who switched over from the YSRCP and the BJD, respectively.

Krishnaiah had resigned his Rajya Sabha seat and left the YSRCP. Sujeet Kumar had resigned from his upper house seat after which he was expelled by the BJD.

Three vacancies arose in Andhra Pradesh when YSRCP members Venkataramana Rao Mopidevi, Beedha Masthan Rao Yadav and Ryaga Krishnaiah quit their membership in August.

Yadav and Krishnaiah's terms as Rajya Sabha members were to end on June 21, 2028, while Mopidevi was to retire on 21 June, 2026.

A vacancy occurred in Odisha when Sujeet Kumar quit his seat following which he was expelled by the Biju Janata Dal. His term was to end on April 2, 2026.

Krishan Lal Panwar of the BJP had quit his Rajya Sabha seat from Haryana following his election as an MLA in the recent state polls.