Congress candidate Pramod Jain Bhaya has secured a decisive victory in the Anta Assembly by-election, winning the seat with 69,571 votes. Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Morpal Suman emerged as the runner-up with 53,959 votes, while independent candidate Naresh Meena finished close behind with 53,800 votes, marking an intense contest for the second position. The bypoll, which began counting this morning, initially appeared to be a tight triangular contest, especially with Naresh Meena’s entry shaking up traditional voting patterns. However, the momentum soon shifted in favour of the Congress, helped in part by former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s last-minute push to rally voters. All three candidates had claimed confidence in their prospects.
The bypoll was necessitated after former MLA Kanwar Lal Meena lost his membership following a court conviction in a 2005 case related to alleged assault and damage to government property. In the 2023 Assembly elections, BJP’s Kanwar Lal Meena had won the seat, but his membership was later annulled due to a nearly 20-year-old criminal case that carried a prison sentence of more than two years.
Anta voter turnout
According to the Election Commission, voter turnout in the by-election stood at 79.32%. The Commission had established 268 polling stations for 2,27,563 registered voters. Each polling team was accompanied by police personnel, while Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) units were stationed at sensitive and critical booths. Despite early concerns about unrest, voting proceeded largely peacefully. However, in Sakli village (polling station 219), residents boycotted the polls to protest the administration’s neglect of local issues such as road construction to the crematorium, farm pathways, pond beautification, and playground development.
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