New Delhi: Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri has resigned from the Rajya Sabha seat representing Uttar Pradesh, following his unopposed election to the Upper House from Madhya Pradesh earlier this month.
Rajya Sabha Chairman C P Radhakrishnan accepted Puri's resignation with effect from November 14, according to a notification issued by Rajya Sabha Secretary General P C Mody.
Puri's resignation came 11 days before his term in Uttar Pradesh was due to end on November 25. He had represented the state in the Upper House since January 2018.
Puri was declared elected unopposed from Madhya Pradesh on November 5 in a by-election to a Rajya Sabha seat that fell vacant after former Union Minister of State L Murugan resigned.
The BJP had nominated Puri for the seat. He emerged as the sole candidate after the nomination papers of two other contestants, Kante Sayanna and Rajkumar Lohani, were rejected during scrutiny.
The returning officer subsequently issued Puri's certificate of election. His new term in the Rajya Sabha will run until April 2, 2030.
Announcing the vacancy, Rajya Sabha Secretary General P C Mody said in the notification:
"Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, an elected Member of the Council of States (Rajya Sabha), representing the state of Uttar Pradesh, resigned his seat in the Rajya Sabha and his resignation has been accepted by the Chairman, Rajya Sabha wef, 14th November, 2026."
The resignation formalises Puri's transition from the Uttar Pradesh seat to the Madhya Pradesh seat. He will continue as a Rajya Sabha member under his new term.
Puri, a retired diplomat of Indian Foreign Service is serving as the Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas since 2021. He had joined BJP in 2014 and elected as the Rajya Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh in 2020.
(with inputs from agencies)