The BJP on Wednesday announced the name of Union Minister Hardeep Puri as its candidate for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections in Madhya Pradesh, ending days of suspense over the Minister’s future.
Earlier when the BJP announced names of eight candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections in UP, there was no mention of Puri’s name. His current Rajya Sabha term ends in November. READ | No Hardeep Puri, Smriti Irani: The New BJP Faces For UP Rajya Sabha Polls
The Union Minister, the only Sikh minister in the Narendra Modi cabinet, was earlier elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh.
He also contested the Lok Sabha elections but lost. The party has sent Puri, 74, the Union minister of petroleum and natural gas, to the Rajya Sabha twice. Earlier reporting noted: The by-election will be held on November 12. Earlier reporting noted: Murugan, who also holds the parliamentary affairs portfolio, resigned from both the Union Council of Ministers and the Rajya Sabha, despite his term as a member of the Upper House being scheduled to end in 2030.
The BJP central election committee has approved Puri’s name for the bypoll, the party said in a statement. In his resignation letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Murugan said he wanted to focus on politics in Tamil Nadu.
Earlier reporting noted: Hardeep Puri nominated for bypoll from Madhya Pradesh Rajya Sabha seat vacated by L Murugan Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri is the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) candidate for the upcoming by-election to the Rajya Sabha seat from Madhya Pradesh that fell vacant after Union minister of state for information and broadcasting L Murugan resigned.
