The Bharatiya Janata Party selected Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri as its Rajya Sabha candidate from Madhya Pradesh, resolving weeks of uncertainty about his position in the government. His guaranteed victory comes via a by-election seat left vacant by L Murugan, who resigned three years before his term concluded. This alternate arrangement allows the ruling party to secure the veteran leader's cabinet status while simultaneously managing complex social engineering objectives in Uttar Pradesh.
Key points
The arrangement preserves the position of the sole Sikh face in the central government ah…: The arrangement preserves the position of the sole Sikh face in the central government ahead of state assembly elections.
The ruling party chose an alternate state for Puri to accommodate local caste coalitions…: The ruling party chose an alternate state for Puri to accommodate local caste coalitions in Uttar Pradesh.
The decisive legislative majority held by the party in Madhya Pradesh guarantees the mini…: The decisive legislative majority held by the party in Madhya Pradesh guarantees the minister an uninterrupted cabinet tenure.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
NEW DELHI: Union minister
Hardeep Singh Puri was Wednesday named
BJP’s candidate for RS by-election from MP, clearing the path for his continuation in govt following weeks of uncertainty after he was not nominated from UP, the state he had represented as a parliamentarian since 2018.
By-election from MP was necessitated by the resignation of L Murugan from the council of ministers and RS three years before his term was to end.
Puri’s term ends Nov 25, and he is set to be elected by Nov 16, the deadline for polling to be over. BJP’s majority in MP assembly guarantees his victory.
BJP brass’ decision not to name him as party’s nominees from UP had surprised political circles as Puri (74) is the lone Sikh face in govt. Sikh-majority Punjab is going to polls with four other states, including UP. However, BJP’s calculation for UP is now clear: it chose to stick to a rainbow of caste coalitions while picking candidates and create vacancy for Puri from another state.
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