Azharuddin, whose nomination was rejected two years ago, submitted his papers to former Chief Election Commissioner VS Sampath on Wednesday.
The left-hander smashed a 113-ball 151 (8x4, 10x6) to power Madhya Pradesh to victory.
The dominance of Saurashtra's bowlers could be gauged from the fact that Himachal lost their first seven wickets for just 22 runs.
Shubham Pundir top-scored with 42 to take J&K to 139 for eight in 20 overs.
A summary of Thursday's matches in the Vijay Hazare Trophy limited-overs' tournament.
590 cricketers -- including 370 Indian players and 220 overseas players -- will go under the hammer during the two-day mega auction in Bengaluru on February 12 and 13.