New Delhi: Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri has been nominated by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as its candidate for the upcoming Rajya Sabha by-election in Madhya Pradesh. The seat became vacant following the resignation of Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L. Murugan.
Puri’s current term as a Rajya Sabha member from Uttar Pradesh is due to conclude in November. Earlier this month, the BJP decided not to renominate him from the state, instead announcing eight new candidates for the Rajya Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh.
Murugan Resigns from Rajya Sabha
Murugan, who also holds the portfolio of Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, resigned from the Rajya Sabha despite having a term that was scheduled to continue until 2030. He also stepped down from the Union Council of Ministers.
In his resignation letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Murugan stated that he wished to concentrate on political activities in Tamil Nadu. His resignation subsequently created the vacancy in Madhya Pradesh for which the BJP has now fielded Puri.
BJP and Samajwadi Party Candidates Elected Unopposed in Uttar Pradesh
Meanwhile, all 10 candidates contesting the Rajya Sabha elections from Uttar Pradesh have been elected unopposed. The candidates included eight nominees from the BJP and two from the Samajwadi Party (SP).
Returning officer Ajit Kumar Verma confirmed that all 10 candidates had been declared elected after the nomination withdrawal process concluded, reported HT. October 9 was the final date for withdrawing nominations.
The eight BJP candidates elected unopposed were Dharampal Singh, Radhakant Ojha, Prakash Pal, Vidyasagar Sonkar, Gopi Krishna Pandey, Priyanka Singh Rawat, Ram Pratap Singh Chauhan and Shruti Gangwar.
The two SP candidates who secured unopposed election to the Upper House were Ram Gopal Yadav and Dhanraj Parimal Nathwani.