BHOPAL: Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri was declared elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh on November 5 after the nomination papers of two other candidates were rejected.
Returning Officer Umesh Kumar Sharma issued Puri's certificate of election under Form 24 of the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961. Puri was the Bharatiya Janata Party's candidate for the by-election, which was necessitated by the resignation of Union Minister of State L Murugan on October 14. Murugan's term was due to end in April 2030.
The by-election had been scheduled for November 12. However, the nominations of independent candidates Kante Sayanna and Rajkumar Lohani, who was backed by the Congress, were rejected during scrutiny on November 3, leaving Puri as the only candidate in the contest.
Sayanna's nomination was rejected for failing to secure the required number of proposers. Lohani's papers were rejected because he did not submit the mandatory Form 26 affidavit disclosing details of his assets and liabilities within the prescribed deadline.
The last date for withdrawal of nominations was November 5. With no other valid candidate remaining, Puri was declared elected unopposed.
Madhya Pradesh BJP president Hemant Khandelwal received the election certificate on Puri's behalf at the Assembly in Bhopal. Deputy Chief Minister Jagdish Devda and BJP MLAs Rameshwar Sharma and Bhagwandas Sabnani were also present. Puri was in Delhi at the time.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav congratulated Puri and described his association with Madhya Pradesh as a matter of pride.
Puri, 74, is a former Indian Foreign Service officer who served as India's permanent representative to the United Nations from 2009 to 2013. He entered the Rajya Sabha in January 2018 and was re-elected in 2020. He became a Union minister in September 2017 and has held the petroleum portfolio since 2021.
The Congress had criticised Puri's nomination, citing alleged links with convicted US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein mentioned in documents released in the United States. The party also alleged that Murugan had been forced to resign to make way for Puri. These allegations were raised by the Congress and have not been established as facts.
(With inputs from PTI and media reports)