New Delhi: The BJP on Wednesday named Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri as its candidate for the Rajya Sabha bypoll in Madhya Pradesh, ending days of suspense over the petroleum minister's parliamentary seat. The party's central election committee has approved his name, the BJP said in a statement.
Mr Puri, 74, holds the petroleum and natural gas portfolio and is the only Sikh minister in the Narendra Modi cabinet. He was earlier elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh, and his current term ends in November.
The announcement follows his omission from the party's list of eight candidates for the Uttar Pradesh Rajya Sabha polls, which had set off questions about his future in the council of ministers. The BJP has sent him to the Rajya Sabha twice; he has also contested a Lok Sabha election and lost.
The Madhya Pradesh seat fell vacant after the resignation of former Union minister L Murugan, and is the lone Rajya Sabha seat going to a bypoll in the state.
The Election Commission's schedule for the bypoll sets November 2 as the last date for filing nominations, with scrutiny on November 3. Candidatures can be withdrawn until November 5. Voting will be held on November 12 from 9 am to 4 pm, and votes will be counted the same day from 5 pm.
For Mr Puri, the bypoll is the route back into Parliament before his term runs out. A minister who is not a member of either House can hold office only for six months without getting elected, which is why the party has moved him to a state where it has the numbers to send him back.
(With inputs from PTI and media reports)