BJP Fields Hardeep Singh Puri for Madhya Pradesh Rajya Sabha Bypoll; Voting on November 12

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party has named Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri as its candidate for the upcoming Rajya Sabha bypoll in Madhya Pradesh. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the party said its Central Election Committee had approved his name. The by-election has been called to fill the seat left vacant by former Union minister L Murugan, who resigned earlier this month.

Bypoll Schedule: Key Dates

The Election Commission of India announced the schedule on October 22, and the notification was issued on October 26. Voting will take place on November 12.

Last date for nominations: November 2
Scrutiny of nominations: November 3
Last date for withdrawal of candidature: November 5
Polling: November 12
Counting: The same evening, after voting ends

Members of the state legislative assembly elect Rajya Sabha members. Under the usual procedure, votes are counted immediately after polling closes, so the result will be known on the evening of November 12. If only one candidate remains in the fray after the withdrawal deadline, that candidate can be declared elected unopposed.

Why the Seat Is Vacant

L Murugan resigned from both the Union council of ministers and the Rajya Sabha in October, and the vacancy is counted from October 14. He was Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and for Information and Broadcasting. His Rajya Sabha term was due to run until April 2, 2030.

In his resignation letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Murugan said he wanted to return to grassroots work and dedicate his time to strengthening the BJP in Tamil Nadu ahead of the 2029 Lok Sabha elections. Madhya Pradesh has 11 Rajya Sabha seats, and this bypoll fills one of them.

From Uttar Pradesh List Omission to Madhya Pradesh Ticket

The nomination carries extra political interest because Puri was left out of the BJP’s list of eight Rajya Sabha candidates from Uttar Pradesh, announced on October 5 for the October 16 elections. The party fielded a slate of new faces and cited caste and regional balance. Union Minister of State B L Verma was also not renominated.

Puri’s current Rajya Sabha term from Uttar Pradesh ends on November 25, 2026. He first entered the Upper House from Uttar Pradesh in 2018 through a bypoll, which he won unopposed after Manohar Parrikar resigned to become Goa’s Chief Minister. In 2020, he was sent to the Rajya Sabha again from the state.

After his name was missing from the UP list, speculation grew in political circles about his future, and some reports linked it to a possible Union cabinet reshuffle. Neither the government nor the BJP has officially confirmed any reshuffle. Reports also said the Madhya Pradesh BJP had sent a panel of four to five names to the central leadership for this seat, and Puri’s name was among those discussed.

Who Is Hardeep Singh Puri?

Puri, 74, is the Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas in the Modi government. He earlier held the Housing and Urban Affairs portfolio. A former bureaucrat, he joined the Rajya Sabha in 2018 and has since become one of the government’s most visible faces, especially on energy matters.

What the Numbers Mean

Because legislators decide the outcome, the result depends on party strength in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly. The BJP is widely seen as being in a comfortable position there. Previous Rajya Sabha bypolls from the state have often ended without a contest. In 2024, for example, Union Minister of State George Kurian was set to win unopposed after only three nomination forms were filed, one of them from a BJP dummy candidate. Whether the opposition fields a candidate this time will become clear by the November 2 nomination deadline.

What Happens Next

Attention now turns to Puri’s nomination filing, the opposition’s strategy, and the November 5 withdrawal deadline. If the contest goes ahead, polling will be held on November 12 and the result will follow that evening. If no rival remains in the fray, Puri could be elected unopposed, which would secure him a place in the Upper House before his Uttar Pradesh term lapses on November 25.

The move also shows how the BJP is managing its Rajya Sabha numbers and senior leaders’ tenures. Shifting a sitting Union minister to a different state to keep him in Parliament is a practice parties have followed before.