Saroj Pandey: BJP's Powerful Woman Leader From Chhattisgarh (Image: Facebook/Saroj Pandey)

The Korba Lok Sabha constituency in Chhattisgarh is all set to witness a close battle between Congress candidate Jyotsna Mahant and BJP leader Saroj Pandey. By fielding Saroj Pandey as the candidate, the BJP is making efforts to secure the Korba seat, which they lost in 2019.

Saroj Pandey is regarded as the party”s powerful female leader in Chhattisgarh. Saroj Pandey, born in Bhilai, is currently serving as the Rajya Sabha MP from Chhattisgarh. In 2018, she got elected to the Rajya Sabha by defeating Congress candidate Lekhram Sahu. The BJP leader has also served as mayor of Durg Municipal Corporation for two tenures.

Saroj Pandey became the mayor of Durg in 2000 and was re-elected in 2005. In the 2008 Chhattisgarh assembly polls, Saroj Pandey contested from the Vaishali Nagar constituency as BJP candidate and defeated Congress candidate Brij Mohan Singh by a margin of 21,267 votes. Saroj Pandey secured a total of 63,078 votes at that time. In 2009, she contested from the Durg parliamentary constituency. Saroj Pandey secured 2,83,170 votes and won with a margin of 9954 votes.

However, in the 2014 general elections, Saroj Pandey was defeated by Congress candidate Tamradwaj Sahu. Notably, the saffron party won 10 out of the 11 Lok Sabha seats in Chhattisgarh in the 2014 polls, and Saroj Pandey was the only BJP candidate from the state to lose the election.

Saroj Pandey was the BJP”s national general secretary and had also served as president of Mahila Morcha. In 2018, Saroj Pandey landed in controversy as she called Congress leader Rahul Gandhi “mentally weak.”