The Election Commission of India Thursday announced a by-election to fill a vacancy in the Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh. The vacancy arose after Dr L Murugan resigned.
Murugan is an Indian politician and advocate from Tamil Nadu who served as a Union Minister of State and a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member of the Rajya Sabha.
Who is L Murugan?
An advocate by profession with a doctorate in law, Murugan hails from Namakkal in Tamil Nadu and belongs to the Arunthathiyar community.
Political rise: Before joining the Union government, he served as vice-chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and later as president of the BJP’s Tamil Nadu unit from 2020 to 2021.
Union Council of Ministers: He was inducted into Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Council of Ministers in July 2021 and served as Minister of State in portfolios including Information and Broadcasting, Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, and Parliamentary Affairs.
Why was he selected from Madhya Pradesh and not Tamil Nadu?
Rajya Sabha members are elected by the elected members of the respective state legislative assemblies through proportional representation.
To win a single Rajya Sabha seat from Tamil Nadu, a party requires the support of approximately 34 MLAs. In the 2021 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, the BJP held only four seats, meaning the party lacked the numbers to independently elect a member to the Rajya Sabha from the state.
In Madhya Pradesh, however, the BJP held a clear majority. This ensured that a candidate nominated by the party could win the election comfortably without depending on coalition partners.
Mandatory six-month rule: Under Article 75(5) of the Constitution of India, a minister who is not a member of either House of Parliament for six consecutive months ceases to hold office.
After being inducted into Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Cabinet in July 2021, Murugan was nominated by the BJP for a vacant Rajya Sabha seat from Madhya Pradesh in September 2021. The move enabled him to enter Parliament within the constitutionally mandated six-month period. He was elected unopposed in September 2021. Murugan was re-elected to the Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh in April 2024 for a second term, which was scheduled to run until April 2030.
Why did he resign?
On October 13, 2026, L Murugan tendered his resignation from both the Union Council of Ministers and his Rajya Sabha seat. In his resignation letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Murugan stated that he wished to return to grassroots politics and dedicate himself full-time to strengthening the BJP in Tamil Nadu ahead of the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
According to published reports, his exit came alongside several other ministerial vacancies, creating room for an expected Union Cabinet reshuffle while freeing the BJP-held Rajya Sabha seat from Madhya Pradesh for another nominee.
President Droupadi Murmu formally accepted his ministerial resignation under Article 75(2) of the Constitution. The Election Commission of India subsequently scheduled the by-election for his vacated Rajya Sabha seat for November 12, 2026.
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