Punjab Newsline | New Delhi
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has nominated Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri as its candidate for the Rajya Sabha by-election in Madhya Pradesh. The party’s Central Election Committee announced his candidature on October 28.
The seat fell vacant following the resignation of Union Minister Dr. L. Murugan, who stepped down from the Union Council of Ministers and his Rajya Sabha membership on October 14.
Polling for the by-election will be held on November 12, with counting scheduled for 5 pm on the same day.
The electoral contest will be decided by members of the 230-member Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly. Under normal circumstances, a candidate would require 116 votes to secure victory in the election for the single Rajya Sabha seat.
However, Congress MLA Mukesh Malhotra will not be eligible to participate in the voting. Consequently, the electoral calculations will be based on 229 eligible MLAs, and the winning quota will be determined in accordance with the applicable election rules.
The BJP’s nomination of Puri sets the stage for the upcoming by-election to fill the vacant Rajya Sabha seat from Madhya Pradesh.
