Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan filed nomination papers from Budhni seat at Sehore district headquarters on Monday.
Budhni is Chouhan's home turf from where he was first elected as MLA in 1990. This would be the fifth time he will be contesting from the seat, close to his ancestral village of Jait in Sehore district.
While filing nomination papers, Chouhan was accompanied by his wife, Sadhna Singh, sons Kunal and Kartikey, his election agent Ramakant Bhargava and lawyer Shrey Raj Saxena.
Before arriving to file his nomination papers, Chouhan and family prayed at his clan deity's temple as well as at the Narmada River, considered holy by Hindus, in Jait village.
Before filing nominations, Chouhan, addressing party workers ridiculed the opposition Congress party, which is out of power in the state since 2003, about the condition of roads during its rule.
"Everybody knows the number of roads constructed during our stint can easily outnumber the number of potholes that existed during the Congress regime," he claimed, urging people to identify those who had pushed the state into backwardness and darkness.
"Without taking my name their day is not completed. They did not like the development that took place during my tenure. Therefore, I have become a thorn in their eyes, whether it is raja, maharaja or udyogpati,” he added.
A year after becoming an MLA in 1990, Chouhan was elected MP when he won a bypoll from Vidisha constituency in 1991 after former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee quit the seat.