Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri formally resigned from his Rajya Sabha seat representing Uttar Pradesh on Saturday, paving the way for him to assume his new parliamentary role representing Madhya Pradesh.
Rajya Sabha Chairman C. P. Radhakrishnan accepted Puri’s resignation with immediate effect from November 14, 2026. Confirming the development, Rajya Sabha Secretary General P. C. Mody issued an official notification stating, “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 w.e.f. 14th November, 2026.”
Puri’s tenure as a member from Uttar Pradesh—a state he had represented in the Upper House since January 2018—was originally scheduled to conclude on November 25. However, the senior BJP leader stepped down 11 days early following his unopposed election to the Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh on November 5. His new term from Madhya Pradesh will run until April 2, 2030.
The transition stems from a broader organisational realignment within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Last month, the party opted not to renominate Puri from Uttar Pradesh, sparking brief speculation before naming him as its candidate for the Madhya Pradesh by-election. That seat had fallen vacant following the resignation of former Union Minister L. Murugan, who stepped down to focus on strengthening the party’s organisational base in Tamil Nadu.
During the by-election process in Madhya Pradesh, Puri emerged as the sole contender in the fray after the Returning Officer rejected the nomination papers of two other candidates during scrutiny on November 3, securing his unopposed return to the Upper House. With his Uttar Pradesh resignation now formalised, Puri seamlessly continues his legislative tenure in the Rajya Sabha under a new state mandate.
