Welcoming Puri's candidature, Yadav said his "administrative experience and efficiency would benefit Madhya Pradesh's development". (Image: @HardeepSPuri/x)Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri filed his nomination for the Rajya Sabha by-election from Madhya Pradesh on Saturday, in the presence of Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, state BJP president Hemant Khandelwal, and other senior party leaders.Puri submitted his nomination papers at the Madhya Pradesh Assembly in Bhopal, days after the BJP announced his candidature for the November 12 by-election. The seat fell vacant following the resignation of Union Minister of State L Murugan, whose Rajya Sabha term was scheduled to continue until April 2030.Welcoming Puri’s candidature, Yadav said his “administrative experience and efficiency would benefit Madhya Pradesh’s development”. He said the “state would gain from the Union minister’s experience and guidance, and expressed confidence that he would win the election”.Khandelwal said Puri had “contributed to several important projects in Madhya Pradesh, including the Bina refinery and the Smart Cities Mission”. He said the state would “continue to benefit from the minister’s experience and support”.Senior Congress Leader and Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar criticised Puri over his Rajya Sabha nomination, questioning why he chose the state after allegedly failing to secure a ticket from Uttar Pradesh.The BJP’s decision to field Puri came after the party left him out of its list of eight candidates for the Rajya Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh earlier this month. Puri’s current term as a Rajya Sabha member from Uttar Pradesh is due to end on November 25.The BJP’s central election committee approved Puri’s candidature on October 28. The party’s decision followed the resignation of Murugan, who quit the Rajya Sabha and the Union Council of Ministers to focus on strengthening the BJP in Tamil Nadu.Story continues below this adPuri, 74, is a former Indian Foreign Service officer who served as India’s permanent representative to the United Nations from 2009 to 2013. He entered the Rajya Sabha in January 2018 and was re-elected in 2020. He was sworn in as a Union minister in September 2017 and later served as Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Housing and Urban Affairs before taking charge of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry in 2021.The by-election will be held on November 12, with counting scheduled for the same day. The BJP, which has 164 members in the 230-member Madhya Pradesh Assembly, is in a strong position to secure the seat. A candidate needs 116 votes to win if all 230 MLAs participate.Anand Mohan J is an award-winning Senior Correspondent for The Indian Express, currently leading the... Read More Tags:Hardeep Singh Puri