New Delhi, October 28: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has nominated Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri for the Rajya Sabha by-election in Madhya Pradesh amid renewed political scrutiny of his past email exchanges and meetings with Jeffrey Epstein.
Documents released by the US Department of Justice reportedly include email exchanges between Puri and Epstein from 2014–15. At the time, Puri was associated with the International Peace Institute after retiring from the Indian Foreign Service.
Puri has acknowledged meeting Epstein three or four times but maintained that the interactions were professional and related to international affairs. He has denied any wrongdoing.
The disclosures triggered political criticism, with opposition leaders seeking an explanation from Puri and calling for his resignation. Puri rejected the allegations against him as baseless and defended the nature of his interactions with Epstein. However, correspondence or meetings alone do not establish involvement in Epstein’s crimes.
Earlier this month, Puri was not included in the BJP’s list of candidates for the Rajya Sabha elections from Uttar Pradesh. His current term in the Upper House is due to end on November 25. His nomination for the Madhya Pradesh by-election has now brought renewed attention to his political future and the controversy surrounding the Epstein documents.
