13 Rajya Sabha seats will be up for the political parties to grab as biennial elections to the Upper House will be held in March and June. With a few days to go for the Rajya Sabha Elections 2022, the buzz around the biennial polls has taken the centre stage. With BJP sweeping four out of five assembly elections, the saffron party is looking to bolster its quantum of members in the Rajya Sabha. And to do this, the BJP has nominated S Phangnon Konyak from Nagaland for the Rajya Sabha seat. Talking about women candidates, Congress too has nominated Jeby Mather from Kerala for the Upper House election.
However, the buzz around S Phangnon Konyak is high as she will be the first woman from Nagaland who has been nominated for the Rajya Sabha seat. Now, those who are wondering who is S Phangnon Konyak can read further:
Who is S Phangnon Konyak?
S Phangnon Konyak is the state unit's BJP Mahila Morcha President. S Phangnon Konyak was elected unopposed as the Rajya Sabha member from Nagaland, becoming the first woman from the state to get a berth in Parliament's Upper House. Konyak had filed her nomination on March 21 and following that she was elected unopposed. After her nomination, Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio congratulated her and wrote on his Twitter, "Congratulations, Smt. Phangnon Konyak @phangnon on being elected to the @RajyaSabha and also on becoming the first Naga woman to represent Nagaland in the Rajya Sabha. I am confident that you will represent our state exceptionally well. I wish you the best for a successful tenure. (SIC)"
Also Read: Ahead of Rajya Sabha Elections 2022, here is share of seats held by women in the Upper House
S Phangnon Konyak, who is the state BJP women’s wing chief, has become the second woman Member of Parliament from Nagaland in 45 years. Rano M Shaiza was the first. She was elected to Lok Sabha in 1977. KG Kenye of Naga People’s Front, who occupies the lone Rajya Sabha seat from Nagaland, will retire on April 2 and following that Konyak will take the office.
Women members of Rajya Sabha
Currently, there are only 29 women who are part of the Rajya Sabha. The Rajya Sabha whose maximum strength is 245 consists of only 29 women. The women members of Rajya Sabha include names like Bollywood actress Jaya Bachchan, RJD's Misha Bharti, Shiv Sena's Priyanka Chaturvedi, BJP's Roopa Ganguly and more.
Full List of women Rajya Sabha members here