Madhya Pradesh Rajya Sabha bypoll for L. Murugan’s former seat set for November 12
India’s Election Commission has set the nomination, polling and counting dates for the seat vacated after L. Murugan’s resignation.
India’s Election Commission announced on October 22 that Madhya Pradesh will hold a Rajya Sabha by-election on November 12 to fill the seat vacated by L. Murugan. The vote will choose a member for a seat whose term was due to run until April 2030, according to the Hindustan Times.
The Hindustan Times reported that the seat became vacant on October 14, a day after Murugan quit the Union Council of Ministers and sought to give up his Rajya Sabha membership. His departure leaves a vacancy in Madhya Pradesh’s representation in India’s upper house.
Key dates for the Madhya Pradesh by-election
The election notification is scheduled for October 26. Candidates have until November 2 to submit nominations, with scrutiny set for November 3 and the withdrawal deadline on November 5, according to the timetable reported by The Hindu and the Hindustan Times. These dates determine which candidates can appear on the ballot when voting takes place the following week.
Polling is scheduled for November 12, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Hindustan Times reported. Counting is due to begin at 5 p.m. that day, and the election process is to be completed by November 16. The Hindu also reported that the commission directed voters to mark their ballot-paper preferences using specified violet sketch pens supplied by the returning officer.
Murugan’s departure and the vacant seat
Murugan had been a Rajya Sabha member since September 2021 and was re-elected from Madhya Pradesh in April 2024, according to the Hindustan Times. The newspaper said he had previously led the BJP in Tamil Nadu and joined the Union Cabinet in July 2021. His latest Rajya Sabha term had been due to end on April 2, 2030.
In his resignation letter, Murugan said he wanted to return to grassroots work and strengthen the BJP in Tamil Nadu ahead of the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, the Hindustan Times reported. Dynamite News reported that the BJP leadership will decide whom to nominate for the vacant Madhya Pradesh seat; it did not identify a selected candidate. That choice will determine who contests the by-election for the party.
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Sources and context
- Rajya Sabha bypoll in Madhya Pradesh to fill seat vacated by Union Minister Murugan to be held on November 12The Hindu
- Rajya Sabha Bypoll in Madhya Pradesh on November 12: Who Will Replace L Murugan?Dynamite News
- Bypoll to Madhya Pradesh Rajya Sabha seat vacated by L Murugan on November 12: Election CommissionHindustan Times
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.