Former National Commission for Women chief and BJP candidate Rekha Sharma on Tuesday filed her nomination for the Rajya Sabha bypoll from Haryana here at the Haryana Assembly secretariat in Chandigarh. She submitted her nomination papers to the Returning Officer Ashok Kumar Meena in the presence of Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, BJP State President Mohan Lal Badoli and others.

 Sharma is set to get elected unopposed as she is the lone candidate in the fray. In the 90-member Haryana Assembly, the BJP enjoys a majority having 48 members, the Congress has 37 seats, the INLD two while three are Independents. The Independents also support the Nayab Singh Saini government.

Talking to reporters after filing her nomination, Sharma said, "I want to thank Senior BJP leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, party national president JP Nadda, Union Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and CM Saini for giving me an opportunity once again to serve the nation."

Speaking to media persons after the nomination process, Chief Minister Saini said the Rajya Sabha seat became vacant after Krishan Lal Panwar was elected as MLA and now Rekha Sharma filed her nomination for this Rajya Sabha seat.

 While congratulating Rekha Sharma, Saini said, she is a senior party leader who has been working at the grassroots level to strengthen the party for a long time and has also served as the Chairperson of the National Commission for Women in the past.  

The BJP had on Monday announced Sharma's name for the December 20 Rajya Sabha bypolls. The opposition has decided not to field a candidate.  The Rajya Sabha seat in Haryana fell vacant when Krishan Lal Panwar of the BJP had quit his seat following his election as an MLA in the state assembly polls held in October. Panwar is now a Development and Panchayat Minister in the BJP government in Haryana.

Of the five RS seats in Haryana, Subhash Barala, Ram Chander Jangra and Kiran Choudhry are BJP members while Rekha Sharma is also set to be elected unopposed. Kartikeya Sharma is an Independent member.