Hardeep Puri files nomination for Rajya Sabha by-election from Madhya Pradesh

Union minister of petroleum and natural gas Hardeep Singh Puri on Saturday filed his nomination for the Rajya Sabha by-election from Madhya Pradesh.Hardeep Puri said that, like for all other members of the Sikh Sangat, this violence also came close to his house. (PTI)The seat fell vacant after Union minister L Murugan resigned from the Rajya Sabha on October 13.Murugan's term was to end in April 2030 but his early resignation vacated the seat, necessitating a by-election, for which Puri was declared a candidate by the BJP.Before filing his papers, Puri offered prayers at a Gurudwara and sought blessings from Sant Sudesh Shandilya Maharaj at Karuna Dham Ashram.As part of preparations for the nomination process, minister of state Krishna Gaur signed the consent letter as a proposer for Hardeep Singh Puri.At the time of filing the nomination, chief minister Mohan Yadav, BJP State president Hemant Khandelwal, deputy CMs Jagdish Deora and Rajendra Shukla, among other leaders were present.After the nomination, Puri didn’t interact with media but Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said that before Diwali, Madhya Pradesh is going to get a gift in the form of an MP like Puri.The CM said that Hardeep Singh Puri has had a long parliamentary career. As a Union Minister, he has given many gifts to Madhya Pradesh including Bina Refinery, Civil Aviation, Smart City, Metro Rail, Metropolitan City and Swachh Bharat Mission. It is expected that he will continue to give new gifts to the state in the coming times as well.Just before Puri filed his nomination, police detained youth Congress district president Amit Khatri and several other leaders of the organisation and took them to Aishbagh Police Station. Khatri said that in a democracy, asking questions and registering protest is the right of citizens.