Hardeep Singh Puri Set to Win Rajya Sabha By-Election in Madhya Pradesh

Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri is set to win the Rajya Sabha by-election from Madhya Pradesh. Nominations of two independent candidates were rejected on Tuesday. Congress-backed candidate Rajkumar Lohani is among them. No other candidate is left in the fray after Puri's nomination was rejected. According to an official, independent candidates Kante Sayanna and Rajkumar Lohani's papers were rejected during the scrutiny of nomination papers. The election results will be announced on November 5. This is also the last date for withdrawal of nominations. During the scrutiny of nomination papers, both independent candidates and Congress leader Hemant Katare had objected to Hardeep Singh Puri's nomination. They argued that Puri's affidavit in Form-26 is incomplete and invalid. Returning Officer Umesh Sharma examined the objections. He said in his order that no deficiency has been found in Puri's documents and he has not violated any condition of the Representation of the People Act. His nomination was deemed valid after the decision of the Returning Officer. Atif Khatane, a Congress MLA, said this in a statement after the court.