Puri, 74, steps in. He filed his nomination papers for the vacant Rajya Sabha seat in Madhya Pradesh shortly after 11 a.m., with Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and BJP state president Hemant Khandelwal in attendance.
The seat was vacated when Union Minister L Murugan resigned earlier this month, though his term was due to run until April 2030. Madhya Pradesh holds 11 Rajya Sabha seats, and its legislative assembly has 230 seats, but a court ruling on the voting rights of one Congress MLA has reduced its effective strength to 229.
Congress has seized on alleged links between Puri and the Jeffrey Epstein case, with workers burning effigies of him in Bhopal on Friday. The opposition has demanded his resignation since early this year, but Puri has denied any involvement.
The by‑election is scheduled for November 12, and the BJP aims to retain the seat that was held by Murugan. With the Assembly’s 229 votes at stake, the campaign is expected to intensify as parties mobilise supporters.
Puri’s nomination has already set a tight timeline for the campaign, with the election commission preparing to oversee the vote on the 12th.