Bhopal: Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Saturday filed his nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha by-election from Madhya Pradesh.
Accompanied by Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and state BJP President Hemant Khandelwal, Puri arrived at the Vidhan Sabha premises around 11.30 a.m. to complete the formalities.
Before proceeding to file his nomination, he paid obeisance at a gurdwara.
The BJP had named him as its candidate for the Rajya Sabha seat from Madhya Pradesh on October 28. The vacancy arose after Union Minister L Murugan, whose term was originally scheduled to continue till April 2030, resigned from the upper house on October 13.
State minister Krishna Gaur signed as the proposer for Puri’s nomination on Friday at the BJP office.
The voting for the by-election is scheduled for November 12.
In the 230-member Madhya Pradesh Assembly, the normal quota required to win a Rajya Sabha seat is 116 votes. However, Congress MLA Mukesh Malhotra will not be able to participate in the voting, bringing the effective strength to 229. The exact winning quota will be calculated as per the rules.
The position of Bina MLA Nirmala Sapre, who has been associated with both parties in different contexts, is also being closely watched.
Before filing his nomination, Puri also visited Karuna Dham Ashram in Bhopal and sought the blessings of Gurudev Sudesh Shandilya Maharaj.
Meanwhile, police took preventive action against several Youth Congress leaders in Bhopal ahead of the nomination, amid expectations of protests.
The by-election is being closely watched as the BJP seeks to retain the seat. With a comfortable majority in the state Assembly, the party is well-placed to ensure Puri’s smooth election to the Rajya Sabha.
Meanwhile, a guest faculty member, Haripal Bihare of Betul, is reportedly mustering support of MLAs to contest the election. He has claimed that BJP and Congress members have assured him of support to contest the election.
(IANS)
