India, Oct. 29 -- The BJP has nominated Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri as its candidate for the Rajya Sabha bye-election in Madhya Pradesh. The party's Central Election Committee announced his candidature on Wednesday.

The seat fell vacant following the resignation of Union Minister L Murugan, who stepped down from the Union Council of Ministers and his Rajya Sabha membership on October 14. Polling for the seat is scheduled for November 12, with counting to take place at 5 pm the same day.

The electoral arithmetic will depend on the effective strength of the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly. Although the State has 230 seats, Congress MLA Mukesh Malhotra will not be able to participate in the voting. The contest will ther...