politics

Hardeep Puri elected to Rajya Sabha unopposed from Madhya Pradesh

5 November 2026

The Union Petroleum Minister was declared elected after the nomination papers of two independent candidates, one of them backed by the Congress, were rejected; the Opposition had criticised his nomination over alleged links with Jeffrey Epstein

Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri addresses a press conference at his residence at Akbar Road, in New Delhi on Saturday, October 31, 2026.

Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri was on Thursday (November 5, 2026) elected for the Rajya Sabha unopposed from Madhya Pradesh in the byelection for a seat that fell vacant after the resignation of former Union Minister L. Murugan.

While the byelection was scheduled for Thursday (November 12, 2026), Mr. Puri’s election was declared on November 5 two days after the nomination papers of two independent candidates, one of them backed by the Congress, were rejected. November 5 was the last date to withdraw nominations.

Mr. Puri’s election certificate was received by Madhya Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party president Hemant Khandelwal and Deputy Chief Minister Jagdish Devda at the State Legislative Assembly.

Mr. Puri was announced the BJP candidate for the byelection on October 28, weeks after Mr. Murugan, whose term was to end in 2030, gave up his membership of the Upper House.

His nomination received criticism from the Opposition Congress over Mr. Puri’s alleged links with the convicted U.S. sex offender and trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, as referenced in the files released in that country. The party also claimed that Mr. Murugan had been “forced to” resign to make way for Mr. Puri.

It had also challenged Mr. Puri’s nomination with the Returning Officer Umesh Sharma, alleging that his affidavit was “invalid” due to legal discrepancies.

His election to the Rajya Sabha, however, ends months of speculation over his exit from the Union Cabinet amid the Epstein Files controversy.

Mr. Puri is the only Sikh Minister in the BJP-led National Democratic Allaince government and his continuation in the Cabinet holds significance ahead of the Assembly elections in Punjab in early 2027, especially when BJP leader Ravneet Singh Bittu was dropped as a Minister in July 2026, after he did not secure a re-nomination for the Rajya Sabha.