The BJP’s Central Election Committee has approved Hardeep Singh Puri’s candidature for the upcoming Rajya Sabha by-election in Madhya Pradesh. Puri, 74, is the Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas. His current Rajya Sabha term from Uttar Pradesh is due to end in November.
BY PC Bureau
October 28: Days after a controversial photograph of Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein resurfaced, the BJP on Wednesday named him as its candidate for the upcoming Rajya Sabha by-election from Madhya Pradesh, ending speculation over his political future.
The BJP’s Central Election Committee has approved Puri’s candidature, the party said in a statement.
Puri, 74, is the Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas and the only Sikh minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Cabinet. He was previously elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh, where his current term ends in November.
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भाजपा की केंद्रीय चुनाव समिति ने मध्य प्रदेश में होने वाले राज्यसभा उप-चुनाव 2026 के लिए श्री @HardeepSPuri के नाम पर अपनी स्वीकृति प्रदान की है। https://t.co/K4TmfcIXf2
— BJP (@BJP4India) October 28, 2026
The BJP’s earlier announcement of eight candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh had omitted Puri’s name, fuelling uncertainty over whether he would receive another term.
Puri has been elected to the Rajya Sabha twice with BJP support. He has also contested Lok Sabha elections but failed to win.
The renewed attention to Puri’s association with Epstein follows the circulation of a photograph showing the two together. The image has drawn scrutiny amid wider public interest in Epstein’s links with prominent political, business and public figures. However, a photograph or social contact alone does not establish involvement in Epstein’s criminal activities, and no such conclusion should be drawn without supporting evidence.
Puri, a former Indian diplomat who served as India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, joined the BJP before entering electoral politics. His renomination signals the party’s decision to back him for another term in Parliament despite the renewed attention surrounding the photograph. The BJP has not indicated that the controversy influenced its selection.
