Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri Files Nomination for Madhya Pradesh Rajya Sabha Bypoll

Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Saturday filed his nomination papers as the BJP candidate for the November 12 Rajya Sabha by-election in Madhya Pradesh, in the presence of Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, BJP state president Hemant Khandelwal and other senior party leaders.

The 74-year-old minister submitted his nomination at the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly building shortly after 11 am. The BJP selected him for the seat vacated by Union Minister of State L. Murugan, who resigned from the Union Cabinet and Rajya Sabha on October 13 to concentrate on strengthening the party's organisation in Tamil Nadu. Murugan's term was originally scheduled to end in April 2030.

Puri's candidature comes as his existing Rajya Sabha term representing Uttar Pradesh expires on November 25, 2026. He has not resigned from that seat and continues to hold his existing membership. The BJP had excluded him from its list of eight candidates for the Uttar Pradesh Rajya Sabha elections before nominating him for the Madhya Pradesh vacancy. If elected, he will secure another parliamentary term through the new state representation.

A former Indian Foreign Service officer, Puri served as India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva and New York. He presided over the UN Security Council and chaired its Counter-Terrorism Committee during 2011-12. He joined the BJP in January 2014 and became Union Petroleum Minister in July 2021.

The BJP holds 164 seats in the 230-member Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly, while the Congress has 65 legislators. The effective Assembly strength for the by-election stands at 229, as Congress MLA Mukesh Malhotra cannot participate in the voting following a court ruling. Madhya Pradesh has 11 Rajya Sabha seats, of which the BJP currently holds seven and the Congress three, with one vacancy.

The Election Commission's schedule provides for nominations until November 2, scrutiny on November 3 and withdrawal until November 5. Polling will take place on November 12 between 9 am and 4 pm, followed by counting from 5 pm.