States » NorthPosted at: Oct 28 2026 9:38PM


BJP retains former Amritsar candidate Hardeep Puri in Parliament ahead of Punjab polls

Chandigarh, Oct 28 (UNI) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday nominated union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, who unsuccessfully contested the 2019 Lok Sabha election from Punjab's Amritsar constituency, for a Rajya Sabha by-election in Madhya Pradesh, a development that comes months before Punjab's 2027 Assembly elections.
The nomination offers Puri a route to continue in Parliament after his current Rajya Sabha term from Uttar Pradesh expires on November 25.
The decision follows speculation about his parliamentary future after the BJP left him out of its recent list of Rajya Sabha candidates from Uttar Pradesh.
"The Central Election Committee of the Bharatiya Janata Party has given its approval to the name for the upcoming Rajya Sabha by-election 2026 in Madhya Pradesh: Hardeep Singh Puri," the party said in its announcement.
Puri, a former diplomat and a prominent Sikh face of the BJP at the national level, entered electoral politics in Punjab in 2019 when he contested the Amritsar parliamentary seat as the joint candidate of the BJP and its then ally, the Shiromani Akali Dal.
He lost to Congress candidate Gurjeet Singh Aujla by 99,626 votes. Aujla secured 445,032 votes against Puri's 345,406.
The BJP has since parted ways with the Shiromani Akali Dal and is preparing to contest the next Punjab Assembly elections independently.
Puri's nomination comes as the party seeks to strengthen its political organisation in Punjab, although the BJP has not publicly linked his Rajya Sabha candidature to its electoral plans in the state.
The Madhya Pradesh seat became vacant following the resignation of former union Minister of State L. Murugan, who stepped down from the Rajya Sabha and the union Council of Ministers earlier this month to focus on party organisation in Tamil Nadu.
Murugan's Rajya Sabha term was originally due to expire on April 2, 2030.
The Election Commission has scheduled polling for November 12, with counting to take place the same evening.
Puri's nomination addresses immediate questions over his continued parliamentary membership, although his continuation in the union Cabinet remains a decision for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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Tags: #BJP retains former Amritsar candidate Hardeep Puri in Parliament ahead of Punjab polls
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