Senior Supreme Court advocate Menaka Guruswamy could make history by becoming India’s first LGBTQ+ member of parliament, after being nominated to the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of parliament.

Members of the Rajya Sabha are elected indirectly by state legislators rather than by public vote. The political party All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) announced its candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha election, which is scheduled to take place on March 16.

Among the candidates is Menaka Guruswamy who, if elected, is set to become the first openly LGBTQ+ person to serve as a member of parliament in India. TMC are expected to secure multiple seats, making Guruswamy’s election likely.

The Senior Supreme Court advocate became widely known in India for her role in the constitutional challenge to Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, which resulted in the decriminalisation of consensual same-sex relations in the country. Guruswamy was among the lawyers who helped secure the landmark verdict in 2018, in a milestone moment for the LGBTQ+ community in the country.

The lawyer has worked on constitutional and human rights cases for most of her life, having studied at the National Law School of India University, the University of Oxford and Harvard Law School.

Her reputation has extended beyond her home country, and in 2019, she featured on the Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world. In 2019, she was included in Forbes India‘s List of Women-Power Trailblazers.

Taking to social media platform X to celebrate the announcement, Guruswamy said she was “deeply honoured” to be nominated to the Rajya Sabha.

“Our Constitution’s values of equality, fraternity & non-discrimination have guided my life & work, I hope to carry these ideals forward into Parliament. I look forward to representing the interests of the people of West Bengal & to serve ‘We the People’ of India,” she said.