The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday announced that the bypoll to a Rajya Sabha seat from Madhya Pradesh vacated by former Union minister L Murugan will be held on November 12.
The seat fell vacant on October 14, a day after Murugan, the Union minister of state for information and broadcasting and parliamentary affairs, quit the Council of Ministers and sought to give up his Rajya Sabha membership. His term was due to end on April 2, 2030.
Murugan was a Rajya Sabha member since September 2021 and was re-elected from Madhya Pradesh in April 2024. He is a former Tamil Nadu BJP chief and joined the Union Cabinet in July 2021.
In his resignation letter, Murugan said he wanted to return to the grassroots and work full-time to strengthen the BJP in Tamil Nadu ahead of the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
He also spoke about what Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership meant for him. “It has been the greatest honour of my life to serve India and Tamil Nadu under your leadership. I do not come from a political family. I come from a very poor family,” he wrote. His parents, who worked as daily wage labourers and cattle grazers, “continue to lead a simple life in Konur village”, he said.
Murugan credited Modi and the BJP’s culture of recognising grassroots karyakartas and giving him opportunities far beyond his expectations. He described every responsibility he received as “an expression of your trust” – from the National Commission for Scheduled Castes to the Rajya Sabha and the Council of Ministers.
Also read | ‘Want to strengthen BJP in Tamil Nadu’: L Murugan resigns; 3rd Union minister to quit in 4 months
The notification for the bypoll will be issued on October 26, and the last date for filing nominations is November 2. Scrutiny will take place on November 3, and candidates can withdraw by November 5.
Voting will be held from 9am to 4pm on November 12, with counting at 5pm the same day. The whole process must be completed before November 16.