Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri now holds a Rajya Sabha seat from Madhya Pradesh until April 2030. He won unopposed after the scrutiny process eliminated his two rivals. Returning Officer Umesh Kumar Sharma declared Puri elected at 3 pm on November 5, 2026, in Bhopal. This followed the rejection of Congress-backed Rajkumar Lohani and independent candidate Kante Sayanna on November 3.
The rejections were technical but decisive. Sharma ruled that Lohani failed to submit the mandatory Form 26 affidavit by the deadline. Sayanna lacked the required signatures from 10 percent of state Assembly members. Puri’s own nomination papers survived despite objections from Congress leaders who questioned the validity of his affidavit. Sharma found no violation of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
The vacancy arose when Union Minister of State L Murugan resigned on October 14. Originally, the Election Commission scheduled polling for November 12. But with no other candidates remaining after the withdrawal deadline, no ballot was needed. BJP Madhya Pradesh president Hemant Khandelwal received the election certificate on Puri’s behalf at the state Assembly.
Puri, a former Rajya Sabha member from Uttar Pradesh, filed his nomination on October 31. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and Deputy Chief Ministers Rajendra Shukla and Jagdish Devda were present. His previous term from Uttar Pradesh was set to end on November 25, 2026. This new election extends his tenure in the Upper House by nearly four years.
The political fallout is already brewing. Congress leaders Hemant Katare and Atif Aqeel said they will take the matter to court. They plan to challenge the Returning Officer’s decision to dismiss their objections. The next step lies in the judiciary, not the ballot box.