Sachin Pilot congratulates Phulodevi Netam as Congress announces her as Rajya Sabha candidate from Chhattisgarh

New Delhi [India], March 5 (ANI): Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Thursday extended his heartfelt best wishes to Phulodevi Netam as the Congress party's top leadership decided to field her as the Rajya Sabha candidate from Chhattisgarh.
In a post on X, Pilot said he hopes that under the guidance of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Phulodevi will firmly present the party's ideology and democratic values in the House.
"The Congress Party's top leadership has once again decided to field @PhuloDeviNetam as the Rajya Sabha candidate in Chhattisgarh. For this, I extend my heartfelt best wishes to her. I hope that, under the guidance of Congress President @Kharge ji and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha @RahulGandhi ji, you will firmly present the party's ideology and democratic values in the House," Pilot posted.
The announcement comes as political parties across the country are finalizing their candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha biennial elections.
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party announced its first list of candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha biennial elections, clearing nine names across six states, including Bihar, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Odisha, and West Bengal. From Chhattisgarh, the BJP has nominated Laxmi Verma as its candidate.
The All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) announced four candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections: Babul Supriyo, Rajeev Kumar, Menaka Guruswamy, and Koel Mallick.
Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president and Leader of Opposition in the Odisha Assembly Naveen Patnaik, also announced Dr Santrupt Misra and Dr Datteswar Hota as candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) announced that polling for the upcoming Rajya Sabha biennial elections will be held on March 16, with vote counting the same day at 5 pm and the process concluding by March 20.
The elections will fill 37 seats across 10 states - Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Telangana - whose members' terms end in April 2026.
The notification was issued on February 26, with the last date for nominations being March 5, scrutiny on March 6, and withdrawal by March 9. (ANI)