Hardeep Singh Puri, 74, currently serves as the Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas. His term as a Rajya Sabha member from Uttar Pradesh is set to end on November 25
BJP named Hardeep Singh Puri for MP Rajya Sabha bypoll: The Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) on Wednesday named Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri as the party’s candidate ahead of Rajya Sabha bypoll in Madhya Pradesh next month. Puri, 74, currently serves as the Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas. His term as a Rajya Sabha member from Uttar Pradesh is set to end on November 25.
BJP’s central election committee approved Puri’s candidature , the statement read. The Madhya Pradesh Rajya Sabha seat fell vacant after former minister L Murugan’s resignation earlier this month. Murugan, who was the Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Information and Broadcasting, resigned from both the government and the Rajya Sabha, triggering speculation of a possible reshuffle in the Union Council of Ministers. His term was due to end in April 2030. Earlier on October 22, the Election Commission of India announced the schedule for the upcoming bypoll.
According to the official schedule, The notification for the by-poll will be issued on October 26, 2026. The last date for filing nominations is November 2, 2026, with scrutiny scheduled for November 3, 2026. The last date for the withdrawal of candidatures has been fixed as November 5, 2026.
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Voting will take place on November 12, between 9:00 AM and 4:00 PM, followed by the counting of votes on the same day at 5:00 PM. The entire election process is scheduled to be completed before November 16, the poll panel stated.
