The BJP has nominated Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri as its candidate for the Rajya Sabha bye-election in Madhya Pradesh. The party’s Central Election Committee announced his candidature on Wednesday.
The seat fell vacant following the resignation of Union Minister L Murugan, who stepped down from the Union Council of Ministers and his Rajya Sabha membership on October 14. Polling for the seat is scheduled for November 12, with counting to take place at 5 pm the same day.
The electoral arithmetic will depend on the effective strength of the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly. Although the State has 230 seats, Congress MLA Mukesh Malhotra will not be able to participate in the voting. The contest will therefore be determined by the number of eligible legislators and the applicable voting quota.
The position of Bina MLA Nirmala Sapre could also influence the calculations. She maintains that she belongs to the Congress but has also been seen attending BJP programmes. Her position remains uncertain amid
proceedings related to alleged defection.
The final assessment of the BJP and the Congress strengths will depend on clarity regarding Sapre’s voting status and the effective number of legislators participating in the election.
Reacting to the nomination, Congress’ media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said the Modi Government is so “subservient to Washington” that it is still “shamelessly” promoting a man whose links to convicted child sex offender and child trafficker Epstein warrant an independent investigation — not a Rajya Sabha seat or a ministerial berth.
Last week, the Congress launched a scathing attack on the Government over a purported photograph of Puri with Epstein, with party leader Rahul Gandhi asking which “anti-national traitor” the US is “blackmailing”.