BJP Fields Hardeep Singh Puri For Rajya Sabha Bypoll

(MENAFN- Live Mint) New Delhi: Union petroleum and natural gas minister Hardeep Singh Puri was on Wednesday nominated by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the Rajya Sabha by-election from Madhya Pradesh, paving the way for him to return to the Upper House as his current term from Uttar Pradesh nears end.
The BJP's Central Election Committee approved Puri's candidature, the party said in a statement on Wednesday. The nomination comes weeks after the party left him out of its list of eight candidates for the Rajya Sabha elections from Uttar Pradesh. Puri, 74, is currently a Rajya Sabha member from Uttar Pradesh, with his term set to end on 25 November.

The by-election was necessitated by the resignation of Union minister of state L. Murugan, who stepped down from the Rajya Sabha on 14 October to focus on strengthening the BJP in Tamil Nadu. His term was due to end on 2 April 2030. Murugan was re-elected on 2 April 2024, with his second term beginning the following day.

Polling for the Madhya Pradesh seat is scheduled for 12 November, with counting on the same day. The last date for filing nominations is 2 November.

If elected, Puri will serve the remainder of Murugan's term until 2 April 2030, giving him about three years and five months in the Upper House. His tenure would extend roughly a year beyond the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.

The BJP holds a majority in the Madhya Pradesh assembly, whose elected members vote to choose Rajya Sabha representatives, giving its candidate an advantage in the by-election.

Puri is a former diplomat and his nomination helps him in retaining his parliamentary membership beyond the end of his current Rajya Sabha term.

Rajya Sabha members serve six-year terms, compared with the Lok Sabha's five-year term, unless the lower house is dissolved earlier.

MENAFN28102026007365015876ID1111880078