Who among the following women won the by-election in 2017 for the one Rajya Sabha seat from Madhya Pradesh?

Question

UnlockIAS · Accepted Answer

Correct — C, Sampatiya Uikey. The 2017 by-election filled the Rajya Sabha seat from Madhya Pradesh that fell vacant on the death of Union Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave (May 2017). Sampatiya Uikey, a Gond tribal woman leader of the BJP from Mandla, was elected to the seat by the votes of Madhya Pradesh MLAs.

Why the other options are wrong — (a) A veteran Congress leader of Madhya Pradesh (former Deputy Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition). She died in 2010, so she could not have contested a 2017 election.  (b) Not the person elected to this seat; included only as a distractor name.  (d) Shares the surname 'Uikey' as a deliberate trap, but she was not the candidate elected to this Rajya Sabha seat.

Concept: Members of the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) representing a state are not elected directly by the public. Under Article 80 they are chosen by the elected members of that state's Legislative Assembly through proportional representation by single transferable vote. When a seat falls vacant mid-term (by death or resignation), a by-election is held to fill only the remaining term.

State PCS 2018 Q11 — Madhya Pradesh GK PYQ with Answer

State PCS 2018 Q11 — Madhya Pradesh GK PYQ with Answer