In Jaipur on Oct 14, independent candidate Naresh Meena officially filed his nomination for the Anta Assembly bye‑election in Rajasthan’s Baran district. He arrived at the SDM office with his wife, kids, parents and a wave of supporters at 12:10 p.m., ready to take on the contest.
After handing his papers to the returning officer, Meena and his family performed a symbolic prostration before the crowd, saying, “I bow to the people of Anta and ask for your blessings.” The gesture was meant to show humility and connect with voters.
Meena made a sharp attack on former minister Pramod Jain Bhaya, who is now the Congress candidate for the same seat. He accused Bhaya of corruption and of failing both in government and in opposition. “Pramod Jain Bhaya held power twice and used it for graft,” Meena said. “When he lost, he didn’t even fight back for the public, nor did he raise any issues.”
He highlighted his own activism, pointing to a 2023 protest he led at the Collectorate for farmers’ rights. “That action stopped the queue for fertilizer,” he recalled. “Now the problem is back – illegal gravel mining keeps prices high, and contractors profit while villagers pay more.” Meena pledged to crack down on these practices and to stand with farmers facing fertilizer shortages, price hikes, water and electricity problems, and bad roads.
Born in 1979 in Naya village, Atru tehsil, Baran district, Meena comes from a family of community leaders. Both parents served as village sarpanchs, his wife Sunita was a former Zila Parishad member, and his brother’s wife has worked on the Panchayat Samiti. His nomination follows the Congress candidate’s filing on Oct 13.
The BJP has not yet named a candidate for the Anta by‑poll. Earlier this year, Meena was jailed for slapping the Sub‑Divisional Magistrate during the Deoli‑Uniyara bye‑election, but he was released from Tonk jail on Monday after eight months in custody. After securing bail in a separate violence case, the Rajasthan High Court cleared him for release.
The Election Commission has set the Anta Assembly bye‑election for Nov 11, with results to be declared on Nov 14. The seat was vacated when Kanwal‑lal Meena, an ally of former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, resigned. The contest is expected to draw attention to local farmer issues, corruption claims, and the broader political rivalry between the Congress and BJP in Rajasthan.
Source: ianslive
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