Bhopal, Aug 20 (IANS): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday named Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying and Minority Affairs George Kurian in Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government its Rajya Sabha candidate from Madhya Pradesh.

One out of 11 Rajya Sabha seats fell vacant after Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia was elected to the Parliament from the Guna Lok Sabha constituency in the 2024 general elections.

The 63-year-old George Kurian, who hails from Kerala, also serves as vice-chairperson of the National Commission for Minorities.

The Union Minister has been a BJP member for over four decades.

Madhya Pradesh has a total of 11 Rajya Sabha seats. Eight are with the BJP. MoS for Information and Broadcasting L. Murugan is also an RS member from Madhya Pradesh.

The Congress has three Rajya Sabha MPs -- Digvijaya Singh, Vivek Tankha and Ashok Singh -- from the central Indian state.

Before George Kurain's name was announced, it was speculated that two former Madhya Pradesh Cabinet ministers -- Narottam Mishra and Jaibhan Singh Pawaiya -- could also be considered.

Union Minister George Kurian has been long-standing BJP member who joined the party since it was formed in 1980.

He was also a lawyer in the Supreme Court.

Earlier, he served as the vice-chairman of National Commission for Minorities and as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to former Minister of State for Railways, O. Rajagopal.

George Kurian was sworn in as Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying and Minority Affairs in the Modi 3.0 government on June 9.

He is the second Union Minister after his Cabinet colleague Ravneet Singh Bittu -- a Punjab native -- to be nominated by the BJP for Rajya Sabha.

Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu has been named the BJP's Rajya Sabha candidate from Rajasthan. He is the grandson of former Punjab chief minister, Beant Singh.

Ravneet Singh Bittu, a three-time former Congress MP, is the Minister of State for Railways and the Minister of State for Food Processing Industries in the Modi 3.0 government.