Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri arrived in Bhopal on Friday evening to a high political welcome, ahead of filing his nomination on Saturday morning for the Rajya Sabha by-election from Madhya Pradesh. Puri, 74, will file his papers around 10:30 - 11 am at the Vidhan Sabha in the presence of Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav, BJP State President and senior party leaders. Ten BJP MLAs will act as proposers and sign his nomination papers, in a deliberate show of unity and numerical strength. The BJP on Wednesday named Puri as its candidate for the November 12 bypoll to the lone vacant Rajya Sabha seat from the State.

 

The seat fell vacant following the resignation of former Union Minister L Murugan, who stepped down to focus on Tamil Nadu politics. The nomination had ended days of speculation after Puri’s name did not figure in the BJP’s list for Uttar Pradesh. The party’s Central Election Committee cleared his name, signalling the central leadership’s trust in the veteran diplomat-turned-minister.

 

As per the Election Commission schedule, November 2 is the last date for filing nominations, scrutiny will be held on November 3, and polling will take place on November 12 from 9 am to 4 pm, followed by counting at 5 pm on the same day. Meanwhile, the political temperature in Bhopal has risen sharply. The Congress is yet to announce a candidate for this bypoll. On Wednesday, State Congress leaders, including Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar, criticised the BJP’s choice and demanded clarification from the party over the controversy surrounding Puri’s alleged links to the Jeffrey Epstein case. With the BJP armed with a decisive majority in the 230-member Assembly, Puri’s election is being seen as a formality. But the Congress is expected to announce its strategy on Saturday, setting the stage for a spirited contest of narratives ahead of the vote.