Ex-Congress leader's entry into fray spices up Anta seat bypoll in Rajasthan

While the ruling BJP is seeking to retain the constituency that fell vacant after its MLA was disqualified, the Congress candidate is trying his luck again in the seat after losing the 2023 polls

New Delhi: A former Congress leader has spiced up the bypoll in Rajasthan’s Anta Assembly constituency, where the ruling BJP is seeking to retain the seat that fell vacant after its MLA was disqualified and the Congress candidate, a former Minister who lost the 2023 polls, is trying his luck again.

It has also brought warring factional leaders like Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma and his predecessor Vasundhare Raje, who was relegated to the margins of the BJP leadership, on a joint platform. Ashok Gehlot, Govind Dotasra and Sachin Pilot too have hit the campaign trail for the Congress candidate.

The BJP is confident that it will romp home comfortably, citing its improved performance in the bypolls in November last year after a blip in the Lok Sabha election. In the bypolls, the BJP wrested seats from the Congress — it won five out of seven seats, increasing its tally from one sitting seat — while the Congress lost three sitting seats to win just one.

The BJP has fielded Morpal Suman, a panchayat pradhan who belongs to the Mali community, against Congress' Pradeep Jain while independent candidate Naresh Meena, who was expelled from the Congress earlier, could upset the calculations of both the candidates.

The bypolls were necessitated due to the conviction of BJP MLA Kanwarlal Meena in a 20-year-old criminal case. He had defeated Jain in 2023 by a margin of 5,861 votes, though the Congress candidate had won by 33,737 votes in 2018. Jain had won the Assembly polls twice earlier also.

While the BJP is highlighting its government’s work in the last two years during its extensive campaign, the Congress is questioning the same. Both parties are working overtime at the grassroots.

The Congress has deputed around 270 senior leaders, giving them tasks at various levels, including at the booth level. Leaders are also tasked with handling various caste groups. 

The voters from the Mali and Meena communities, with around 35,000 votes each, dominate the constituency, followed by the Dhakar community, which has around 18,000 votes. The BJP candidate belongs to the Mali community, while the Congress candidate is a Jain and Naresh, a Meena.

Naresh, who had impressive electoral performances when he fought Chhabra and Deoli Uniara seats, is likely to take a chunk of the Meena votes. He is often called ‘Chhota Kirodi’, as his style resembles senior BJP leader Kirodi Lal Meena, known for his rebellious nature and agitations.

In Chhabra, his home constituency, he had polled 43,291 votes to come third; he had polled 59,478 votes in Deoli-Uniara, pushing the Congress to the third place. While Naresh has a following, his opponents feel that his antics have an expiry date, and it would not work this time.

Congress managers believe that Jain is an influential leader in the constituency, and he could reverse his 2023 misfortunes this time, even as the BJP believes bringing back a candidate who was “rejected by people two years ago” will not help the cause.